1 50 1 https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/333bf17659b6afd79a3145656ec3ebd6.pdf 99157866d2a389664e2b2b68cafa1600 PDF Text Text The Word pril 1978 Is CHRIST �THE WORD The Most Reverend Metropolitan PHILIP, Primate THE WORD OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN ARCHDIOCESE OF NORTH AMERICA The Most Reverend Archbishop Michael, Auxiliary Volume 22 Founded in Arabic as Al KaUmat in 1905 by Bishop Raphael Hawaweeny Founded in English as The Word in 1957 by Metropolitan Antony Bashir Co-Editors: Archpriest George S. Corey Archpriest Joseph J. Allen Editorial Office: 54 Howitt Road WestRoxbury,MA April, 1978 IN THIS ISSUE 3 Editorial 5 The Great Churches of Jerusalem by Holy Land News Service 9 The Depths of St. Ephraim's Prayer by Father Joseph Allen 11 Blessed is He that Comes in the Name of the Lord by Father Antony Bassoline 12 Archdiocesan Office 16 Lifestyles X by Father James C. Meena 17 Standing Committee on Arab Refugee Affairs by Dr. Frank Maria 19 Daily Devotions 20 SOYO Digest 26 Review 27 Communities in Action 02132 Subscription Office: 358 Mountain Road Englewood, N .J. 07631 ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: U.S.A. and CANADA, $8.00 FOREIGN COUNTRIES, 10.00 SINGLE COPIES, 1.00 THE WORD, published monthly except July and August, by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America at Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania. Business office, 377 McKee Place. P.O. Box 7135. Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213. Entered as second claM matter and postage paid at the Post Office at Pittsburgh. Pa. 15219. ISSN 0043-7964 COVER • ts • th e "F eas t of feasts"• In For Orthodox Christians, the Resurrection of Chnst E f om • ts • seen ra1smg • • Ad ~m and veeesr all this Icon of the Descent into Hades, Christ the grave, having broken the bonds of deat~'s power. Chrtst_ also fr. the those who put their faith in His coming. This eterna! truth ts seen m ity presence of the "other" figures, on His right and left. With them, all ~u~a~ is raised. Thus the expression "Christ is Risen" becomes ever so meanmg u • WHAT NEXT FOR ORTHODOXY? ..I CONSTANTINOPLE? Again Orthodoxy is under seige. One need only look at the historic facts to be astounded by the oppression and torment that the Orthodox Church has suffered throughout the world. Most poignant in our minds, of course, are the Communists, who hove martyred millions of Orthodox Christians, e.g. under: Stalin. Perhaps more indirectly, we have seen "pressures" from other forces, usually in the long-ago past, SO IT SEEMS! Our Church has found ways to survive it all in her history with Turks, Mos/ems, and even with Roman Catholic Jesuits - no secrets being kept that many injustices hove occurred. Surely the Holy Spirit hos saved Orthodoxy from oblivion - that is, with the committment and action of the faithful! Well, it's here again, fellow Orthodox! This time it is the Turkish government in a new and most direct campaign against the Greek Orthodox Church of Constantinople. It's not new, of course. Halki, the famous theological school attended by so many Orthodox theologians and hierarchy, has been closed by the Turks. Since September, 1955, stories of murder, rape, of the looting and burning of churches, of the scandalous abuse of Church articles and groves, have come to light. New taxes imposed since World War II have been an apartheid method of getting the Orthodox Christians out of Turkey! Printing of Church publications was ceased, as presses were silenced. The clergy are not even allowed to wear their robes outside the churches and the bells cannot be rung. Religious education is forbidden. And even - it's not a secret - the Turkish government ruled out certain personalities in the lost election of the Ecumenical Patriarch. . .In the face of such abuse of free rights, shall we again hear no un,~r~d Orthodox voice? Sholl we again hear those who soy "it's pol,t!ca/ - stay out"! Or again, "the Orthodox are not supposed to ~et rnvolved in social issues, out of the fear of the 60's radical social gospel." 11 Perhaps the problem, however, is even more basic than a com°n Orthodox voice ( of both clergy and laity) speaking out in ehalf of the Ecumenical Patriarch. Perhaps the truth is that there is ~ c~eeping impotence, a veritable weakness and secularization of odoxy in Americo, born out of an easy, vague, everything-is~.r'.ght, undemanding theology! What kind of voice in such a con,t,on can be heard? Roy Burkart said, "Goa is an affliate ! and it 6 t 11 April,1978 a= 1-Q LIi �. . ntar way. What he says applies to U: was meant not ,n a comp 1,m{ . y to the condition of making Gor Orthodox, because he is ;e ~r~,nbne before whom we stand/ our "buddy" instead of t e o y ct of His awesome judgement, tho• Orthodox cannot forget th e abspf e the dread judgement seat 0 . we need "a good defense e or w- Christ!" G O d whose will and activity is see· Have we instead a haJy here clearly/ Have we, out 0 everywhere vaguely, an :~: lory and truth we exist, thereb, timidity, lost the God for_ wht dog His will -- a true postulate of Or O losing our courage? Fearing I the very reason for our faith thodox Christianity we . os_e "They feared nothing but God 1 remember reading of th e P' gn:,s~ewhere, will surely say, "The Of our gen'eration, someo7~, feared everything but God. . . . f Orthodoxy which, paradoxical/} One tires of a _t,m,d v~t~.~:man rights," to which Jimmy Carte has so much po_tent,?I. Ba: d _ and again it is the Holy Orthodo, always points, ,s being a use Church! We then have two qtesi the second: "What next or The Great Churches of Jerusalem by Holy Land News Seroice The Christian communities, traditionall~ strucd largely autonomous, are the vigorous 1ured• antion of every maJor • - an d many a mmor • otmua ld f 1 • • 1 h of the 2,000-year-o tree o ecc esiasttca ~anc They belong to one of the four principal tu tory. • hi • h' oups Created through successive sc sms wit. m the Church: the ORTHODOX, the most ancient, II k?" The first is "Who wi spea . An ;;,5-doxy? Constantinople?" O r • Joseph Alie- .0 Co Edit 33rd Annual Convention dating from the dawn of Christianity; the NONCHALCEDONIANS, those Churches which split way from Orthodoxy in the fifth century; the ROMAN CATHOLICS, comprising the Latins of Western Christiandom and the UNIATES, eastern ristians now in communion with Rome. Of most recent date are the ANGLICANS and PROTESTANTgroups. ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN ARCHDIOCESE JULy 23-30, 1978 HOUSTON, TEXAS S TO M1 Hosted By st. George Churc~ Rt. Rev. John Nam1e Page 4 0LYPLACES The theological differences that distinguish them are but one facet of very distinctive and zealously preservedreligious and cultural traditions. A microcosmof all of these is to be found flourishing within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem - an area of lessthan half a square mile. A focal point of their religiouslife and identity are the Holy Places, in .hich the rights of property and worship that are hxed according to the "Status quo of 1757" are crupulouslyinvoked and guarded by the respective communities. The CHURCH OF THE HOLY E~ULCHRE, one of Christianity's most venerated hnnes, is in the possession of Jerusalem's three Patriarchates: GREEK ORTHODOX, LATIN and ERMENIAN, although the COPTS, SYRIANS and THIOPIANS have certain claims. The complexity ~ the arrangement both here and at the BASILICA F THE NATIVITY in Bethlehem is most apparent Tbe\l nl, 1978 during the festivals of Easter and Christmas, when a detailed, coordinated program has to be agreed upon every year by the communities concerned, so that ceremonies and processions may follow one another without hindrance. ARABIC LITURGY - DIVERSE COMMUNITY Over ninety per cent of the local Christian population is Arabic-speaking. In the 400 or so churches and chapels throughout the country, Arabic is frequently heard in the different liturgies. In this respect, both the city-dwelling majority - in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jaffa, Nazareth and Haifa - and those who live in the villages of Galilee, are generally indistinguishable from their Moslem compatriots. The clergy, on the other hand, are easily identified as to denomination and religious comm unity by their religious garb: the brown cassock of the FRANCISCAN, for example, the white robe of the DOMINICAN, the black, turbanlike headpiece of the COPT, the peaked 'Ararat' hood of the ARMENIAN ORTHODOX, the cylindrical, flat-topped head covering of the GREEK ORTHODOX. In the ancient 'indigenous' GREEK ORTHODOX Church, the lower clergy are Arab, while the Patriarch and the hierarchy, from which are constituted the Holy Synod and the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre, are Greek. The Patriarchate, whose seat is the CONVENT OF ST. CONSTANTINE AND ST. HELENA in Jerusalem's Old City, possesses forty-five historic monasteries - some dating back to Byzantine times - and numerous churches. Today there are some 50,000 Greek Orthodox in the Holy Land. JERUSALEM H The Old City N'S E) EN OF EMANE NT IVES Page 5 �Unlike the widely-distributed Greek. and ~a tin communities, the majority of the Ar~~man fatth!ul live in Jerusalem, in the Old City s _Armen~an Quarter. Their principal shrine, the . 1mpress1ve CATHEDRAL OF ST. JAMES, stands m the convent complex known as the Armen~an Compound; those facilities, including a school,_ hbrary, museum and printing press, serve a commumty of some 2,500. ROOF OF HOLY SEPULCHRE . Each of the other three non-Chalcedoma!1 Churches whose faithful total but a few thousand, 1s headed by an archbishop. The Syrian Orthodox archbishop resides in the MONASTERY 0~ ST. MARK, adjacent to the Armenian Quarter. His and the Coptic Orthodox communities have tiny chapels in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. On the roof of one wing of the Church we find the dwell~ngs of !he Ethiopian Orthodox monastic commumty, which also has a church and monastery in West Jerusal~~The ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, compnsmg Latins and Uniates, constitutes an imposing presence in the Holy Land, with a very numerous clergy_ an~ scores of religious, educational and welfare mstitutions in addition to important rights in most of the major Holy Places. The Lath~ Patriarch of Jerusalem, whose diocese also takes m Jordan and_ Cypr_us, heads a local community of some 28,000, mcludmg over fifty religious orders and congregations. Most of these have come to the Holy Land within the last hundred and twenty years; the Rosary Sisters, however, are of local origin, and since the mid-fourteenth century the Franciscan Order has been en trusted by the Holy See wit~ guardianshi~ o~ the major Catholic sanctuaries. L1~e the vast ma3on~y of Christian bodies, the Franciscans have ~ece1ved worldwide aid from their Church, and their many shrines include the monumental BASILICA OF THE ANNUNCIATION in Nazareth, completed in 1967. Many of the churches, schools and seminaries that have been built in recent years are those of the GREEK CATHOLICS or MELKITES. With some 35 000 faithful most of them in the diocese of Acre (Akko) and o'alilee, the Greek Cat~10lic Chur~h is the strongest of the Uniates. Its Patriarch, Max1mos V of Antioch, is represented by a patriarchal vicar in Jerusalem, as are the patriarchs of all six Uniate Churches here, their respective seats located in Arab countries. Likewise Arabic of speech, Byzantine of rite and Roman Catholic in church alliance, the local Maronite community of about 5,000 lives for the most part near the border with Lebanon, cradle and 'homeland' of the MARONITE CHURCH. The CHALDEANS and SYRIAN and ARMENIAN CATHOLICS number a few hundred. PROTESTANTS Only within the last 150 years have the Anglican and Protestant denominations, notably the Page6 We start inside the Old City, the ancient walled .on of Jerusalem dating back to the time of Jesus secdtl earlier. Just ms1 • "de t h e L'tons' G ate (or St. ;~ phen's Gate as it is also known) is the Church of Ste Anne, one of the three places in Jerusalem in h;nor of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Here, tradition says, was the home of her mother Anne the place where she was born and reared. Like m~ny of the city's churches this one has a long w . d . history of constructton an reconstruction. The xcavated church of St. Anne here is of special fnterest. Its massive archaeological remains covered the two po_ols of B_ethseda a~d the 1400 year old church origmally butlt on the site. Diagonally across the Old City on Mount Zion, just outside the Zion Gate, is a large and very beautiful landmark, the modern Church of the Dormition. The cornerstone was laid by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1899. Tradition says that it was built over the home of disciple John, and that it was here that Maryrested in her final sleep, "dormition." A visit to the lovely crypt is rewarding. The third shrine commemorating Mary is outside the Old City at the bottom of the Kidron Valley near the Garden of Gethsemane. This is the Rock Tomb, the place where, a fourth-century tradition says, Marywas brought for burial. The basilica here dates backto the fifth century. Across the Old City from St. Anne's, inside the walls,is the Armenian Cathedral of St. James, built in the twelfth century in memory of the leader of the early Christians of Jerusalem. The beautiful interior and the fabulous treasury and library of the convent merit a quiet, long visit, as does the completely new seminary built across the street from the main compound. One of Jerusalem's outstanding landmarks is on the top of the Mount of Olives, east of the city. Here in the Russian Compound, is a six-story tower visible for miles around from every direction. Two very unusual churches dating from Czarist times, are situated here, close by the Byzantine site of Jesus' ascension. Let us proceed down the Mount of Olives on the pathwhich Jesus took on the first Palm Sunday. We headwestward towards the Old City and come to the Pater Noster Church, where, it is believed, Jesus taughtHis disciples the "Lord's Prayer." The present ~hurchwas built in 1869 on the ruins of the Byzantine ~hurch erected by the Princess of Auvergne, a co~s.mof the Emperor Napoleon. In a cloister adJotmng • the church are over 30 large plaques with the Lord's Pr~yer, each in a different language. "DNe~rby ts the small but charming church, ominusFlavit," on the site where 'Jesus wept over f the OIi ~~e city.' The Franciscans built the new church in O JERUSALEM: Framed by the Herodlan stones T 55 on the ruins of a fifth-century Byzantine City Walls, Mount Zion's major landmarks are thew:: structure. The church's plate glass window" facing of David, and the Church of the Dormldon, 899 WestproVt 'd es one. of the most lovely views . of the O Id foundation stone was laid by the German Kaiser In 1 ' LUTHERANS, taken their place in the Holy Land• unlike the others, a principa! r~ison d'etre of theh local presence has been m1s~10nary work. Their places of worship and educational and charitable institutions are numerous. There are also some twenty minor Protestant groups and agencies, among them the SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIANS, the BAPTISTS, the SOCIETY OF FRIENDS, the PENTA. COSTAL MOVEMENT, the ADVENTIST, the CHURCH OF CHRIST, the MENNONITES and the MORMONS. As Easter approaches, the thoughts of the world's Christians focus on the City of Jerusalem, where 1945 years ago, the drama ~f. t?-e New Testament re~ched its climax in the cruc1ftx1on and the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. These final events in the life of Jesus were the opening days of Christianity and they are now commemorated in churches that are as varied as the city's history. Jerusalem has great basilicas and tiny chapels, weathered Byzantine structures and 20th century creations, architecturally striking ~hurches and unusual agglomerations of many ancient and competing styles. But each church has a. special me~ning to Christians since each honors an important figure or event in the New Testament. Let us lead you ona tour of them. TheWor April,1978 JERUSALEM: Within the Church of the Dormltlon on Mount Zion, an Image of Mary, Mother of Jesus, rests on a bier, at the traditional site of her death, or dormitlon. City, the Jerusalem that Jesus loved. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, looking down on it from the Mount of Olives, and sadly predicted its downfall. The site of His "Olivet, Discourse" was memorialized by Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, in the third of her great basilicas, St. Eleona. (The Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Nativity were the other two basilicas she built; one in Jerusalem and the other in Bethlehem five miles to the South.) Nearly 100 feet long by 65 feet wide, and with walls nearly five feet thick, St. Eleona was destroyed by the Persians at the beginning of the seventh century and only partly restored by the Crusaders some 500 years lafer. This partly restored basilica was lost to history until 1910 when excavators uncovered its foundations. An attempt to fully restore the ancient and beautiful church was begun in 1920 but was never completed. Before we pause, let me answer one important question. How do we really know where Jesus wept, and where Mary was laid to rest? The answer is that we cannot always be sure of the exact spot. The Roman Emperor Hadrian destroyed Jerusalem in 135 A.D. and the early Christians were dispersed. It was not until 200 years later, during the era of Constantine, that Christians began to erect churches in the �city. These later Christians were relying on older traditions when they built their shrines. However, ~rchaeological findings do support most of the tradi~ional sites. Yet what is important to us is the irreplaceable spiritual uplift we Christians receive when we visit these sites. Christian Americans often ask us what Easter time is like in Jerusalem and we always answer: very different yet very beautiful. Jerusalem is in a climate quite unlike that of most of the United States and Canada, and there is much less greenery to be seen. But the coming of Spring means the end of the rainy winter season and the beginning of the non-stop sunshine which the Holy Land enjoys from March to October. exquisite gem in the black velvet background 0 f Mount of Olives. the Just below is the Church of All Nations. This ve beautiful modern church stands on the site ofry fourth-century structure. A part of the ancient a terrace and the remains of the earliest church 0 ~~~k site, as well as twelfth-century Crusader frescoes e mosaics can still be seen. The decorations _ stUt anlid . sk y an d ot h er mosaics - were restored to th. original beauty in 1959. Outside is the old enclo e~ olive orchard, thought to be the place .where 1/e pr~yed on ~he nig~t when He was betrayed by Jud:s This beautiful setting, garden and church, shouldn • be ~ass~d up hastily. It is an ideal spot for qui~: meditation and prayer. Across the Kidron Valley on the southeaster slope of Mount Zion is the Latin Church of St. Peten in Galicantu, also known as St. Peter's of the Coe/ Crowing. Here,. ~u.ring the late ?ours of the nigh~ ,before the c~cifi~ion, Peter denied knowing Jesus. The church itself is small, but lovely. Stairways lead down from the remains of a palatial building to a stone courtyard, further down to a dungeon prison. Just up the hill from St. Peter of the Cock's Crowing was an ancient church long since destroyed. The Depthsof St. Ephraim'sPrayer by joseph alien 0 Lord and Master of my Life! Rem?ve from me the spin't of slothfulness, /amt-heartedness, lust of power and vain talk. But give to me, thy servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love. Yea, 0 Lord and King! Grant me to see my own transgressions and judge not my brother. For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen. (continued on page 15) This prayer of repentance is read throughout the entire world-Orthodoxy during Great Lent, itself a timeof repentance. It formulates in three thoughts andsentences, the true essence of the Scripture, the teachingand the piety of the Orthodox Faith. Simplysaid, in the eyes of the Church, it tells of ourdesire as dependent children upon God, to have removed from us the wrong things, e.g., laziness, loveof power and vain talk; secondly, to give to us thecorrect things, e.g., humility, patience and love. JERUSALEM: - The onion-shaped domes of the Russian Church of Mary Magdalene form a backdrop for the Church of All Nations In the Garden of Gethsemane. At this time of the year, we like to go up to the Mount of Olives and enjoy the breathtaking panorama of the Old City that it affords. There, we can visit what many people consider the most beautiful church of Jerusalem, the Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene. • Czar Alexander III sponsored its construction in 1~69 with its many onion sh~ped domes elevated on ~gh pedestals and set in the midst of a thick grove of pines and cedars. Illuminated at night it sits like an Page8 J. TheAccusorof the Prayer Those are easy enough for any Christian to ~nderstand. But the third major statement is the catcher" and the "accusor": "That I may see my owntransgressions and judge not my brother." As the Fathers of our Church have always known, thesetwo are ~onnected, that is, first, knowing my owntransgressions and then, secondly, judging not mybrother. It is to this third concept of the prayer that our att~ntionmust turn. This is true because it is at that pohr~t _where we,· so to speak, must truly do our C istian "work" • h . - k nowmg ourse lves, our own umamty, so that we may not judge. In a certain sfe~se,this requires of us a great struggle and sufenng wit • hin ourselves, because to truly know Father Jos . pastor of St. Anthony's in Be . ep h All.en is JERUSALEM: - The Good Friday procession reache! Crrge¼'eld, N.J., and is visiting professor at Holy the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, E/:s reek Orthodox School of Theology. He is Cotraditional site of the crucHlxlon and resurrection of JesUJ• t or 01The Word. . TbeWor April,1978 on~self is painful - and to thus not judge others, which we are only too ready to do, is painful. Come with the following thoughts, if you will, that we may attempt to discover exactly what is needed to live after the injunction of that third concept. First of all, one who is cut off - truncated from his own depths, from his own humanity, is one who remains cut off from the suffering, the guilt, and the aloneness of his brother. The heart of all Christian behavior begins, not in·, the dynamics among the people, but within one's own soul, from which such acts proceed. St. Ephraim's prayer indicates this truth. But then, it is a truth referred to time and again: "Look down upon me a sinner, thine unprofitable servant ... " is the Cherubimic Prayer of the priest. Every "Lord have mercy'.' in the Liturgy speaks this truth. One can think of St. Peter. It was Peter, being astounded at the shore that the nets are suddenly filled with fish, thus realizing that he was standing before the living God in Christ, who falls to his knees and cries, "Depart from me, 0 Lord, for I am a sinner." It is only after that, that Our Lord says, "Now, I will make you a fisher of men!" One wonders, what does his sinfulness have to do with the nets suddenly being filled? Why should St. Peter ~ay that? The relationship becomes clear when we realize that the act of being a disciple of Christ follows one's awareness of his own limitedness and sinfulness. The Page 9 �psalmist knew this of old when he sang - and as the priest prays while he censes ?ef ?~e ~~e Great Entrance, Psalm 50, " ... for m 1mqu1t1es_was I conceived, and in sin did my mother conceive me St. Ephraim's prayer sa~s all t~at. Our Christian behavior - our act and hves with each other begins within the humility of one's own soul. How to Live It . . But still, it does not tell us how to do tt. W~at ts, indeed, required to live this prayer? Where_ ts t~e arena of the "how" in which we struggle with this truth? We ask, who is it that can possibly l~ve it? We ask that, because the prayer means, precisely, th~t one will suffer, that one will die to ?is own_self, hts own need, his own ego. And that mdeed ts a true spiritual endeavor. Who will live out the prayer, first of all, is the man of fidelity, of faithfulness, even in the face of such suffering. Brothers and sisters, the pray~r implies suffering. The man of fidelity suffers for hts choices. He suffers because he has seen and made a decision. He suffers because he is devoted, because he has made a promise. He suffers not only because of what he has done; he suffers, after the manner of Jesus, because of who he is. The man of fidelity who will live out this prayer, is the one who knows that the price will be paid for_hiswor~-: and his silence! He is a man who is consistent with himself and trustworthy with others - a man who conv~ys_ th~t fidelity as it has been tempered by the pam m hts heart. The prayer means that. The prayer knows that, as fallen humans, we make our friends suffer; sooner or later, as the ancient myths have conveyed the truth symbolically, we put all our lovers to death: This is not. because man is all evil, but because he ts not yet as mnocent as he must be. He is not the Nathaniel to whom Jesus will continually turn throughout the ages and say, "Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile." Seeing We hurt others more often in our blindness than in our maliciousness. As the prayer says, the tragedy of human nature does not derive only from the fact that we are corrupt, but from the fact that we often fail to see. The man of faith knows and realizes this, i.e., his own failure. Standing before others who will cry, "fool," for trying to live this prayer, he kno~s this about himself. And he knows it, even as he ts willing to die at the hands of the blind who do not know the same truth. Yet - and this is an important point for the Christian - that man is living in the hope that tomorrow their blindness will be taken from them. As the prayer says, he will not judge now. He will hope for tomorrow. Page 10 After all, h?ping for tomorrow is the tyPe 0 patience to which the prayer refers ... knoWi Who hopes,}~ t oday ' but hoping for tomorrow. •• m d ~ed t h e prophet in"Itth patience for tomorrow ts most spiritual sense. Truly, this prayer calls the one who will be foolish enough to struggle to be such, spiritual prophet. This prophet, !he. prophet tha: each of us can be for each other, ts not the proph, • wh e who "tells fortunes " or p h enom_enal stones, dreams of flimsy hopes. The truth ts that we havet()( often heard of ':dream~" incor~ectly, a~d the prayer if we think it is 1mposs1ble to hve, remmds us of bot prophets and dreams in which ~e know the tru meaning of that famous word which describes suet prophets and dreams: the word to which I now refer is "impossible." Impossible to Dream! I can say that because Jesus dreamed an impossible dream as the prayer means it. This is tru because Jesus was not only someone who did goo( deeds but someone who dreamed of things whic. never' did come to pass. A prophet is effective ifh keeps men dreaming of ?etter alter1;1atives,of hop ful alternatives, of God-hke alternatives. Even whe a dream fails, a man is better for having dreamt it true prophet, then, gives men dreams which areno wild fantasy, but possibilities even thou~h they m, never be fulfilled. It is only the prophetic struggliL_ after the dream indicated by this prayer, that wecan understand the profound meaning of the words,th "impossible dream." To live out this prayer, which seems impossible. is to live with an indication of how life should~ lived, both with regard to self and others. As we asked at the outset, "Who, then, can fr· this prayer?" It takes the man of fidelity to th Christian life, and the spiritual prophet who w. chase after the dream. But if St. Ephraim's prayer means all t~at, itt only because Jesus lived all that. He gave Htmselft those who needed Him, rather than to those whoha all they needed. He was concerned with a fe~ loa~e and fish, with prophesy and Fatherho~d., with faiti. and the lilies. He cared for these reaht1es becaus they express life's deepest meanings. Looking _atth• prayer we are reminded that Christians are mcot sistent 'when they maintain that the life-style 0 Je~ was suitable for Jesus, but not for us; we claimb' doctrine but not His behavior. Yet, it i~ tr_uet ~1 Jesus reveals less in His words than in Hts life-~ and in His death-style. He reveals not only who is, but what man can become. ! HOLYYEARSERMON BlessedIs He That Comes In The Name Of The Lord by fr. antony bassoline "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that stonest the prophets d layest those who are sent to thee, how I would have :th:red thee to myself as a mother hen gathers her chicks " d r her wings, but you would not have me. I tell you un et solemnly, you sh a 11not see me agam • untt·1 you can mos'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.' " ayThe event of Palm Sunday, now celebrated as a major ·day of the Church and a triumphant feast, was, as an h01! • • hi torical reality, an occasion o f trage d y a~ d bitter d'1 appointment for Jesus. It marked the occasion when J us fully revealed Himself as Messiah - it marked the :casion when Israel failed its mission. Israel failed to ~ecognizein the words _and actions of Jes_us of Nazareth the authority and operation of God Most High. Jesus came "in the name of the Lord," but His-coming was rejected. It .emainedfor a small but faithful band of followers to carry .he message and meaning of the One wlio came in the name of the Lord. From that time of the first manifestation of the Son of God to the world until now, the mission of God to the world is still realized only by those who accept the One who came in the name of the Lord and who, because of their faith, are able to discern and recognize the work and presence of Christ in the life of the Church. To the crowds on that first Palm Sunday whenJesus revealed Himself, there appeared only a man. They could not see into the Man from Galilee sitting on the donkey in order to discern what was really present with them. The Church continues and actualizes the presence of Christ today. If we look at it on the surface, wesee only an institution. We are expected, however, to recogrlizein it and the various aspects of its life the very presence of Christ; the One who has come . . . and continuesto come in the name of the Lord. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, in a mystical and humanly incomprehensible way, Almighty God made provisionfor Jesus to be present among those who accept Himuntil that moment when the world comes to an end and the Lord appears in glory to accomplish the final judgment. The presence of Christ in the Church is accomplishedin a variety of ways. Through the Word - the presence of Christ is certainly actualized through the Gospel.In the Gospel Jesus tells us, "Heaven and earth willpass away, but My words will never pass away." The wordsof Jesus live on forever and are eternally real and true. Thus in the Church we bind the Gospel in precious metalsand enthrone it in the very center of the altar. Thus at the_Ort~os of every Sunday we reverently approach and_kiss this Gospel as it were the Lord Himself. Thus duringthe Liturgy we ingest the words of this Gospel and they live in our heart. Thus the words of Jesus live on. The One who comes is present in a very special way through the sacraments, when we unite ourselves to Him b_aptism;when we fall before Him in tears, asking orgivenessof our sins; when we ask Him to be present at r th That is the how, the "arena," of St. Ep~a~ ta er Antony Bassoline is Pastor of St. George Church in Darby, PA and is Teen SOYO Advisor in Eastern prayer of patience, struggle and self-suffering,• RPP~r eg1on. become what Christ dreamed man could become, Thei·· April,1978 our marriages as at that of Cana in Galilee; most specially and intimately when we partake of His most precious Body and Blood in Holy Comm union. We are called to see the presence of the Lord in other people as well, in those in need; the orphan and the widow. Note the words of the gospel in this regard, "inasmuch as you have done it to the least of My brethren, you have done it to Me." In a special way we see the presence of the Lord in our hierarchs. Our bishops preside and teach in the name of the Lord. When we honor them, when we accept them, we acknowledge the presence of the Lord among us. Originally in the Church the fact that the bishop actualizes the presence of the Lord Himself was graphically demonstrated by the fact that the bishop's seat stood in the High Place behind the Altar. The bishop presided from this exalted place "in the name of the Lord." In an age before our altars became crowded with so many crucifixes, fans and lamps, etc., the bishop preached from his throne behind the altar. This practice made clear to the people that he taught with the authority of Christ Himself. Thus he sat in the seat of Christ. If we cannot understand that the bishop actualizes the presence of Christ in our midst, then we will never understand what the Church is really about; it will remain for us a human society or exclusive club run by Robert's Rules of Order. The letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch, that great saint whom we are especially honoring this year, will never make any sense to us, most specially when he says, "where the bishop is so let the people be; as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Church." We begin this conference today with a unique and never-before-experienced blessing - th..epresence in our midst of our father and chief shepherd, direct successor to the Apostle Peter, to Ignatius and a host of other saints, the unbroken link between us and that original core of people who accepted the message of the One who came in the name of the Lord. This man also comes to us in the name of the Lord. Elias IV presides over our Church "in the name of the Lord," he teaches us "in the name of the Lord," he offers the Holy Mysteries to us "in the name of the Lord," he acts as a father to us "in the name of the Lord," he comes to us "in the name of the Lord." Jesus was originally rejected by the world and by the people He came to: those who have accepted Him must ever be aware of His presence in the life of His Church. In the presence of His Beatitude, Patriarch Elias, through his words to us and his blessings, we again feel the presence of the Lord among us. As Jesus came to us in the name of His Father, so does our Patriarch come to us in the name of Jesus. It is most fitting that the theme of his visit is: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Truly the Lord is blessed, and truly His representative in our midst, our Holy Patriarch, is blessed. Let us rejoice in his presence; let us offer him our love and our prayers "for health and length of days that he might rightly define the word of God's truth." Let us welcome him in the name of the Lord. Page 11 �ARCHDIOCESAN OFFICE CANONICALGUIDELINES(Continued from last Issue) II. The Divine Services. 1. In order to perform any divine service a Priest must be canonically ordained, not excommunicated by his bishop nor by his own sins or lack of preparation. 2. He must be at peace with all men, and in order to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, he must have fasted from the previous evening, or eaten a light supper, and have read Vespers, Orthros, Metalypsos (Prayers before Communion), and have a clean body and conscience. 3. The Office of Vespers and Orthros must be celebrated on the eve and morning of Sundays. 4. The Evening Divine Liturgy is to be celebrated on the evening preceding a Feast, i.e., the Liturgy for the Feast of Epiphany is celebrated on the evening of January 5th. 5. The Evening Divine Liturgy MUST be celebrated for the Feasts of: Nativity of the TheotokosSeptember 8 Elevation of the Cross- September 14 Presentation of the Theotokos - November 21 The Epiphany - January 6 Presentation of Christ - February 2 The Annunciation - March 25 The Ascension - 40th day after Pascha The Transfiguration - August 6 The Dormition - August 15 6. The Evening Divine Liturgy MAY be celebrated for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ if done earlier on the evening of December 24, or the full Orthros and Divine Liturgy may be celebrated if scheduled late in the night of December 24. Such is left to the discretion of the pastor. 7. The Evening Divine Liturgy SHOULD be celebrated for the Patronal Feast of the local parish and for the Feasts of Saints which have particular veneration in the community. 8. The Evening Divine Liturgy MAY NOT BE CELEBRATED for any Feast which falls on Sunday or Monday. If a Feast falls on Sunday or Monday, the celebration of Great Vespers is prescribed for Saturday evening with Orthros and Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning. Follow the approved texts as found in the Service Book and Nassar's Divine Prayen and Services. 9. The celebrants of the Evening Divine Liturgy must be fully vested since this is a Eucharistic celebration (sticharion, epitrachelion, zone, epimanikia, phelonion). Page 12 10. Communicants at an Evening Divine Liturgy should begin the Eucharistic Fast following the mid-da meal. 11. There must be no additions to or deletions from the approved text of the Evening Divine Liturgy a prepared and published by the ~rchdiocese Depar· ment of Liturgics and Translations. The verses on "Lord, I have cried" are especially to be rendered ir. full as they embody the specifically festal character o1 the service. Only the reading of the paramoia (01 Testament lections) may be omitted at the discretion of the pastor. 12. The Priest is required to offer morning and evenin prayers and / or appropriate devotion on a daily basis in his home or church. 13. In all divine services the Priest must follow strictly th order and rubrics prescribed by the official service books of the Archdiocese. 14. The Sub-deacon is restricted to the following func· tions: Recitation of the petitions of the Great Ektenia and two little Ektenias at the beginning of the Divin, Liturgy. During such petitions, he does NOT raise the orarion as does a Deacon. He may at the discretion of the pastor chant th Epistle lection. PLEASE NOTE: Anything other than the abmmentioned functions is prohibited to the Sub-deacon In all other aspects his functioning is restricted to that normally performed by an acolyte. . 15. The Divine· Liturgy must be celebrated m a conse· crated church on a consecrated antimins. All of the required vestments and vessels must be used, i.e. chalice, diskos, asterisk, spoon, the aer and cover5, candles, and incense. The vestments must be clean and not torn, and an ornamented Gospel and well bound service books must be used. 16. The Bread of Oblation (prosphora) must be made of pure wheaten flour, mixed with water, salt and yeas;t carefully prepared, unadulterated, and well b~ked. is absolutely forbidden to put any oil or butter m or on it. The Wine must be made of pure grapes, red or black, and sweet though NOT artificially sweetened. 17. In cases of extreme necessity the Divine Liturgy ma~ be celebrated in a place other than a consecrate church building, in which event the Priest must blt:C the place to be used with Holy Water, and put h sacred antimins on a suitable table on which t e Liturgy is to be offered. The Wor: The antimins must be signed by the current Primate of h' Archdiocese. }; Altar and Prothesis Table must be covered with l • e covers. The Priest shall see to it that the Sanc1ean • conten t s are c 1ean at a11times. • d all of its ruarY an • prohibited to keep anything upon the Altar Table - 1; \ the tabernacle, Gospels, antimins, candlesticks, h~nd cross and service book. one is permitted to enter the Sanctuary except the 0 _t. p •est Sexton and Servers (altar boys). If a member of n ' . . Parish Council receives an urgent message for the t he • • must b e sent to h'im b y the priest during a service, it xton or one of the Servers. AePriest must celebrate the Divine Liturgy every unday and Feast Day as prescribed. No Priest is Uowed to celebrate the Divine Liturgy twice in the \me day, nor to permit the celebration of two Divine Liturgies on th_esame A_ltarTable i~ th~ course of one day. This is ~tnctly forbidden to mau~tam the Oneness of the sacrifice made by the One Christ, Who suffered and died once for our salvation. 23. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, the Priest must gather all particles of the Sacred Body which may have fallen on the antimins, and reverently put them into the Chalice. Whenever the antimins, sponge or Communion veil are soiled, the Priest must clean them with his own hands. This cleaning must be done as needed to insure that these articles are clean at all times. 24. The Priest must see to it that the Sexton is performing his duties properly, e.g., cleaning the church, preparing the necessary incense, charcoal, wine, water, candles and other requisites for the services in the Sanctuary. 25. No Sexton, nor any layman, shall be permitted to touch anything on the Holy Altar or Prothesis Tables. Such things are the sole responsibility of the Priest and/ or other members of the Clergy! III. Procedures of taking the Kairon and Vesting. The Prayers of Kairon and Vesting as contained in the official Service Book of this Archdiocese MUST be offered prior to each Liturgy. Schedule of Services of Great and Holy Passion Week LAZARUS SATURDAY On this day, Our Lord raises His friend from the dead, confirmingHis intention to suffer and to endure death for usduringHoly Week. A.M. ORTHROS )!VINE LJTURG Y OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM: Commemoratingthe Fourth-day Raising from the Dead of aintLazarus, the Righteous Friend of Christ. P.M.GREAT VESPERS of Palm Sunday. ❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖ PALMSUNDAY Christ's triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem is celebrated joyously with the Divine Liturgy and with the luldren's procession with decorated candles and palms. Thedistribution of Palms marks the end of Great Lent and he beginning of Holy Week. A custom of distributing branchesof Palms to the Faithful in the Church prevails to thisday, as a symbol of victory of Christ against the evil •owers. A.M.ORTHROS DIVINELITURGY OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM: Commemorating the Glorious and Brilliant Feast of the Entranceof Our Lord Christ into Jerusalem. Immediately following the Liturgy, there will be the traditionalProcession with all of the children taking part andcarrying their decorated candles and Palms. HOLY WEEK and P ASCHA are the ultimate goal of the_wholeChristian experience. The absolute minimum fast.mgwould be to eat no meat or dairy products the entireweek. Add constant prayer and charity to this for a co~plete Holy Week experience. The Fasting, of course, IS mtended to direct our attention to Holy Communion, and to place each action, word, and thought in relationshipto Holy Communion as well as to the content ~f the Services of Holy Week. 'We are also to SLOW 0 WNour lives so that we can see ourselves as we really ar~.~inally, Fasting is saying "yes" to God's desire to fill w at is lacking in us, so that we may see life as it really is, April,1978 through Christ's Glorious Resurrection. It is EXTREMELY important to PLAN things in such a way that these Holy Days are focused on what is essential. All week is dedicated to "Keeping Watch" for the coming of the Savior. Therefore, organize your schedule AROUND the cycle of worship. Keep a planned, consistent, disciplined program of worship around the cycle of worship. Be sure TO ATTEND ALL OF THE SERVICES WITH THE ENTIRE FAMILY. Come to HIS House, to worship HIM during this Holy and Great Passion Week. PALM SUNDAY EVENING The Bn'degroom Service is celebrated to commemorate the Blessed and Noble Joseph and also the fig tree, which was cursed and withered by Our Lord. The withering of the fig tree was a miracle and simultaneously a symbolism, inasmuch, as it had only leaves and no fruit. We say symbolism, inasmuch, as many people in ethical and religious works appear as such, but in reality have no fruits of their lives to show. On this evening, we begin the Hymn of the Bridegroom, "Behold the Bridegroom comes at midnight . . . beware, therefore, 0 my soul, lest thou be borne down with sleep . . . and lest thou be shut out of the Kingdom ... " P.M. ORTHROS OF GREAT AND HOLY MONDAY: The Bridegroom Service. ❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖ GREAT AND HOLY MONDAY, DIVINE LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS (optional) The second Bridegroom Service is dedicated to the Ten Virgins from the Holy Gospel. Ethical preparations and wakefulness constitute the foundations of the vivid faith. The theme is to both Watch and Pray. "Come ye faithful, let us work earnestly for the Master . . . increase our talent of grace ... wisdom through good works." P.M. ORTHROS OF GREAT AND HOLY TUESDAY: The Bridegroom Service. ~❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖♦❖❖❖❖❖♦❖♦ Page 13 �GREAT AND HOLY TUESDAY, DIVINE LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS (optional) . The third and final Bridgeroom Service commemorates the anointing of Our Lord with myrrh by the women in the house of Simon the leper in Bethany· The woman, who demonstrated her repentance and ~er. wa_rm faith toward Our Lord, still presents to us for im~tation today, the aroma of her virtue. On this evening we smg the beautiful Hymn of Kassiani: "The woman who ha,d fallen into many sins recognized Thy Godhead, 0 Lord. Woe to me,' saith she, 'receive the sources of my tears, 0 Thou who doth gather into clouds the _water of the sea. Who can trace out the multitude of my sms and the abysses of my misdeeds? O Thou whose mercy is unbounded.'" P.M. ORTHROS OF GREAT AND HOLY WEDNESDAY: The Bridegroom Service. It is hoped that all of the Orthodox Faithful will have made their Confession and received the Holy Sacr~ment of Penance by no later than Hol~ Wednesday. In this wa~, full participation in Holy Unction and Holy Thursdays Liturgy can be realized! ❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖ GREAT AND HOLY WEDNESDAY A.M. DIVINE LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS (optional) The sacred ceremony of the Mysterion of the_ Holy Unction is celebrated on Holy Wednesd~y eve~mg, a custom which has prevailed for a long period of time -: "Anointing the sick with oil, in the Name of the Lord: • • The woman who poured the precious oil on J ~sus is the image of sacrificial love a~d repentan~e, which. alone unites us with Christ. Jesus m turn has given us this Hol.Y Oil as a Sacrament of Healing, by which we partake of His love that never fails! We are anointed this ev~~ing, s? that our own suffering in Christ may becom~ a vts1ble vic~o~y over the ills of our body and our soul. This SacrameD:t ~s a healing unto soul and body .. .'' and is also a _spmtual preparation for the receiving of the Holy ~uchanst a~ th_e Holy Thursday Divine Liturgy. For this r~a~on it is suggested and requested that all Orthodox Christian~ have recently received the Sacramen.t of H?ly Conf ess10n to properly participate in the MaD:k~nd-sa~mgevents that are to be celebrated in the remammg days of Holy Week. Since Holy Unction is a Sacrament of the Church, only Orthodox Faithful may be anointed. P.M. SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY UNCTION (The Holy Prayer-Oil) Since this is one of the Holy Sacraments of the Orthodox Church, only Orthodox Faithful may come forward and be anointed. ❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖ GREAT AND HOLY THURSDAY . The Divine Liturgy of the Institution of the Mystenon (The Sacrament) of Holy Communion - The Commemoration of the Last Supper. The Reserved Sacrament, used for the sick throughout the year, is consecrated at this Liturgy. A.M. VESPERS WITH THE DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. BASIL THE GREAT: Commemorating the Last Supper of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ. ALL OF THE Page 14 FAITHFUL SHOULD RECEIVE HOLY COMMU IO AT THIS DIVINE LITURGY!! • On Holy and Great Thursday evening the SacreService of the reading of the Twelve Passion Gospels . Our Lord's Passion is celebrated. His Crucifixion is ale.:. commemorated by the procession of the Precious an Life-Giving Cross, after the r~ading of the Fifth Gospe: During this Procession, .the Fait~fu~ kn.eel and pr_ayforth spiritual welfare of their souls, imitating the thief on th cross who confessed his faith and devotion to Christ. The all of the Faithful proceed to kiss the Cross reverently a. the chanter sings, "We worship Thy Passion, 0 Chn . ... " After the service, all the people come up to kissth Holy Gospel and the Crucifix. P.M. ORTHROS OF GREAT AND HOLY FRIDAY: The Service of the Reading of the Twelve Holy Passio: Gospels of Our Lord and also the Procession with th Precious and Life-Giving Cross of Our Lord. GREAT AND HOLY FRIDAY "They cast lots upon my vesture . . ." According t the Hebrew custom, the "Royal Hours," four in number are read. These services consist of Hymns, Psalms, anl Reading from the Old and New Testaments, _all relatec prophetically and ethically to the Person of Christ. . gave our Lord a simple pleasure: To whisper irne ~is Sacred Tomb, "Lord, I Love You!" for; Procession around the Church with the Sacred be the re-entry into the Church, and the Scripture T rnd. gs that follow, commemorate the descent of Christ 1 R a .nto Hell to free the righteous, who awaited the fule, nm • . rurnent of His promise. 1 this day, flowers adorn the Tomb of Christ. 0 F llo:ing the service, all of the Faithful kneel before ~he T b rise and kiss the wounds on the Body of our Savior, 0 : al O the Holy Gospel Book, and receive a Blessed er from Our Lord's Tomb. 0 ll of the Faithful should strictly fast this entire day. y should come to all of the services and fast from 0 ~er until after the Vespers of Great and Holy Friday. uJ T.V. or radio. This is the day that Our Lord died for O R SINS! p . 0RTHROS OF GREA ~ AND HOLY SATURDAY: The ervice of the Lamentat10ns Before The Tomb of Our Lord.Also the Procession with the Holy Bier of Our Lord. rt ❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖ GREATAND HOLY SATURDAY This is the most sacred and blessed Sabbath. We elieve in the Holy Resurrection! We expect the Resurrection! We know that Christ's death has destroyed lhe power of sin and death. We wait in love, hope, and faith.We keep the Sabbath! The Divine Liturgy commemorates Christ's descent mto hell. At this time, we prepare for the Resurrection of hrist. During this Liturgy, we hear the many Old Testament Prophecies, urging us to prepare to receive the Resurrection and the life of the world to come "Hidden withChrist in God.'' In this anticipation, the Resurrection IS proclaimed, the Church is sprinkled with Basil Leaves to mbolize Christ's Victory of Hades. Our Holy Com- A.M. THE SERVICE OF THE.ROYAL HOURS. The Death of Christ is lamented. In the service of the Vespers of the Winding Sheet, Christ's Death, His bein taken down from the Cross, His Burial in t?e Tomb t Joseph and Nicodemus, is comme~orat~d m a solem· Procession with the Shroud, the Epitaphios. What log1 or evil led the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate, the Roman soldiers, and the whole crowd to hate, torture, a~d k!'· Christ? On what side would we have been, had we hved1 Jerusalem under Pilate? These questions are addressedt us in every word of the Great and Holy Friday Services The world has not changed nor has human nature. ~01 and Great Friday is the REAL and not ~he symbohcru The Great Churches of Jerusalem condemnation and the REAL and not the ritua! Judg~e (continued from page 8) of our life. The world still prefers darkness to hght, evil! good, death to life. WHERE WILL YOU BE TH., Today the Dormition Abbey covers the site of it. The GREAT AND HOLY FRIDAY??? Crusaders in the twelfth century built a church dediP.M. VESPERS OF GREAT AND HOLY FR~DA Y: 0 cated to "St. Mary of Mount Zion." In this building The Service of the Taking Down of the Precious B?dY. the upper one comOur Lord from the Cross and the Placing of the Wmdm. they had two chapels, memorating the room of the Last Supper. The Sheet, the Epitaphios, in the Bier of Our Lord. . , . The Death of Our Lord is lamented. In Christ_s perfe\ present Upper Room was built by the Franciscans in love for us, He gave Himself FOR US, for the hfe ~fth, 1310A.D. and turned into a mosque by the Moslems, world, as the act of pure obedience and the full trust mth who venerate the lower chapel as the tomb of Nebi Father's will that we lack! This is what we hav~ be~ Daoud, who we know as King David. lovers of Christ's Kingdom, but few of us_have _desiredH· To follow the events of Jesus' last hours before tribulation. We would eat and drink with Him, _but.. crucifixion, we walk along the Via Dolorosa, or Way finds few of us to be with Him in His hunger and Ht~thi~s, All of us want Christ's joy, but few suffer anythmg r°1 of the Cross. The building and rebuilding of Jerusalem during the Middle Ages and in modern times Him. Jesus has many lovers, as long as no troubles be a. and th e accumulated rubble of the centures have ' them. Yet, He loves us, even unto death! . 00 1ong since buried the original path Jesus walked, so This Holy Night we ~ould st~n~ at the Tomb ~~s; entle kind understanding, forgiving Lord, Jesus e ~n follow the modern "Way of Sorrows." g ' ' • the Cross ar. who endured spittings and scourgmgs,. . n th· e proceed along the modern way by starting Death for OUR salvation. Tortured with pain Ho 0 ~ear St. Stephen's Gate, opposite the Convent of the Cross, ' our Lord spoke the words, "I Th'irs t •" Was b en0 isters of Zion • F rom th"ts pomt, • • • says Jesus trad1t1on revealing thus the desire of His Heart to be l~ved I~nrt: began hi ' s walk to Golgotha. While here, one should and me? This is the Great and Holy Friday night. Thew,· nl, 1978 munion this morning is already a taste of the indestructible life with Christ, as we wait for the Paschal Midnight Services to come, and the fullness of our supreme and ultimate joy. A.M. VESPERS WITH THE DIVINE LITURGY BASIL THE GREAT: Commemorating Our Lord's Descent into Hades. OF ST. At the Paschal Liturgy, we take the Light of Christ to begin our midnight Paschal Procession. Our Lord is Truly Risen! All Orthodox Christians should prepare to receive Holy Communion at the Resurrection Liturgy. By so doing, we partake of His Body and Blood, which are the food of Immortality, the Fountain of Life Everlasting. MIDNIGHT DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM: COMMEMORATING THE GREAT, HOLY, AND GLORIOUS RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD OF OUR LORD, GOD, AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST! Following the Resurrection Divine Liturgy, we will bless and distribute the Easter Eggs. ❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖ GREAT AND HOLY RESURRECTION SUNDAY, THE HOLY FEAST OF FEASTS. At the Paschal Agape Sunday Vespers Service, the Holy Gospel of the Resurrection is read in many different languages, to symbolize that the message of Our Lord's Resurrection is proclaimed unto the four corners of the earth. Another Paschal procession takes place at this service. P.M. AGAPE VESPERS SERVICE: The Vespers of Love. At this service the Holy Gospel will be read in many of the languages of the world. There will also be another Triumphant Resurrectional Procession at this Service. stop and enter the convent to be guided by one of the Sisters through the archaeological remains over which their convent is built. In the basement area there is a portion of the ancient Roman pavement of Jerusalem. At the end of our walk along the "Way of Sorrows" we finally arrive at the foremost church of Jerusalem, the great church of the Holy Sepulchre. It would take an entire volume to describe this magnificent church with all its architecture and history. Suffice it to say that it is the church of all churches in the Holy City, with an ancient illustrious history. It houses nine chapels where events of Biblical history, of Jesus' death and resurrection, and of later Christian historical events as well, are remembered. The Easter events attract pilgrims from all over the world. One must have a good guide and take time in making the visit to this church of sacred memory. Personally, our favorite spot in the church is in the "Chapel of the Crucifixion" where we love to view the expression in the Icon of Jesus' mother as she looks at her son in His dying agony. The empty tomb reminds Christians that death is not the end. Page 15 �LIFESTYLES X Standing Committee On Arab Refugee Affairs (ional Council of Churcheps In Strong Support of Pr fdent Carter'sMiddle East eace Initiatives homily by father james c. meena resolution on Middle East In an unanimously adopted • egotiations on F rt"day mornmg, November 11, e!e the Governing Board of the National Council of Ch 'ches in the U.S.A. meeting in New York City, u~ended President Carter for his efforts to achieve me in the Middle East and supported "the bringing peaetherfor negotiations the recognized representatives l (the parties, including the Palestinians." The Script Writers I want to start an argument. However, if we are going to argue we must do so on my terms only. I must write both sides of the script. Not only must I know what I want to say but you must respond precisely the way I expect you to. Does that sound unreasonable? Of course it does. Yet there are many people who insist that they write both sides of the dialogue, and who are upset when others won't follow their script. Some people really think they have the right to decide how others should respond to them. A wise person once said that your feelings are hurt not because of what people say but because of what you hear. That makes a lot of sense to me. If we are in a disturbed frame of mind and emotionally upset, we hear things that other people really did not say. They may have said the words, but their intent was very different from the meaning which we received. We must be extremely careful that we not try to write both sides of the dialogue. We cannot control the scripts of life. Life's scenario can be filled with love or with bitterness, with forgiveness or with grudge bearing. Jesus said, "If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and the Pharisees you will never get into the kingdom of heaven." (St. Matthew, 5:20) He also said, "The kingdom of God is among you." (St. Luke, 17-21) It's not beyond the clouds, it is among you. You can be together in this group, in the same congregation and some of you are already in the kingdom and some of you are not because there are those among you whose virtue goes no deeper than the virtue of the scribes and the Pharisee~. "If you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift at the altar and go and make peace with your brother, then come back and make your offering." (St. Matthew, 5:23) When someone offends us we have the responsibility to go to them with love and say, "Dear friend, you hurt my feelings. Maybe I did not hear what you were saying, but this is what I heard and I would like to know what you meant. If you meant to be offensive you made your point. If, on the other hand, I heard something that you didn't say I would like to know that too but I don't want this feeling to exist between us. What did you say? What did you mean? What was your intention?" "Come to terms with your opponent in good time whilt you are still on your way to the court with him, or he ma\ hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer and you will be thrown in prison." (Matthew, 5:25) Be . peacemaker, not a troublemaker. In case somebot offends us what is our first reaction? I am going to get thai sucker! From the time we are children we hear, "I'll f you." "All right on you." "I am going to get you." We ha\ grown up with that mentality of getting even. Somebodv does something wrong, punish him! About this unre sonable desire to get even, Jesus said, "You heard it saidin the Old Testament, an eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth, but I say to you, offer the wicked man ne, resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the righr cheek off er to him the other one as well. If a man takes you to the law and would have your tunic let him have your cloak as well, and if someone orders you to go on mile, go two miles with him." (Matthew 5:38-43) Thatc pretty profound! Jesus indicated that we cannot write both sides of the script. Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, if my brother offends m· how many times am I suppose to forgive him? Seven times?" Peter wanted a limit. Jesus made it abundan:h clear. "I say forgive him not seven times but seventy time seven." (St. Matthew, 18:21-22) If you can't accept tha1 message my beloved, you will always be in pain and agony agitated or angry at what you think you heard, but wasnor said. I know there are a lot of offensive people in the world and I am not trying to cover them up. There are some people whose personalities clash, but there is no placetr the scripture that makes allowances for that. If Jesus said forgive and love your enemies, then certainly he expec~ us to forgive and love those with whom we ha~e per· sonality clashes. Once we come to the understandmg an realization that we cannot write the scenario for anyone else with whom we come in contact, that we ar responsible for our own dialogue and that we must spea with and reflect a Christian attitude, we can thank G~ because before our Lord and Master we are accountabr. not for what others said to us, but only for ourselves an how we responded to others. So sharpen your mind_asyo. are script-writing and do not try to manage both sidesc the dialogue. TheW, Page 16 The resolution recalled NCC's earlier statement of December 1974 which affirm~d . "the right of. the Paletinian people to self-determmat10n and to a nat10nal entity."It commended President Carter for the issuance of the Joint Soviet-American Statement of October 1, 1977, he tatement which had drawn heavy fire from the Israeli lobbyin the U.S. and from some politicians. Carter was 310 commended for "initiating specific actions toward onvening the Geneva conference," "for addressing ob tacles to peace negotiations such as the issues of utual recognition, Israeli establishment of civilian and m,htarysettlements in the West Bank and Gaza, and the continued reliance on violent means by all parties to hievetheir ends." Carter was encouraged to "secure strong United ations action for peace based on the United Nations Charter,the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and U resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 3236 (1974)". ·1he latter strongly supports the Palestinian legitimate r.ghtsand the Palestine Liberation Organization as their representatives. An amendment to the resolution by Frank Maria, who serveson NCC's Middle East Committee which initiated he resolution and on NCC's Governing Board as a delegatefrom the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, was accepted by the delegates. This ·1,;questedthe President of the National Council of C_hurches, Mr. William Thompson, "with a delegation of h1sown choosing to seek a conference with the President of the United States to personally communicate to him ourconcerns and support." U.S.Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young addressed the NCC G • ' overmngBoard on Thursday morning November 10th andpraised • the U.S. Churches for affecting ' major changes ' Ill ~.S. foreign policy over the last 30 years. The ~~ammoussupport of the influential National Council of . urches for President Carter's Middle East peace initia•ivesand f • • f h or Justice, self-determination and a homeland or t e Palestinians puts the Christian churches in opposillonto the pro-Israel lobby in the United States. According to Frank Maria who has devoted his efforts tnce1967to h • · theCh . . umamtanan and educational activities with 1sti East .~ an Ch~rch in its mission programs in the Middle abo~tt~s American Churches become more informed about th: ~a~ts ?f the Israeli/ Arab conflict, especially InJustice done and being done to the Arab Pril,1978 PRESIDENT CARTER MEETS WITH NCC DELEGATION WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Carter met with a 28member delegation from the National Council of Churches and told them that while the NCC has a ''superb record" for applying biblical teachings "directly to human beings," the churches "have done much less" than the government in fighting racial segregation. The delegation was led by NCC President William P. Thompson, partially obscured at left, and General Secretary Claire Randall, back of head, foreground. Others included, from left, the Rev. Arie R. Brouwer, executive secretary of the Reformed Church In America; Bishop Andrei Kuschak, primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America; the Rev. Robert C. Campbell, general secretary of the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.; Father John Meno, of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch; Margaret Costanza, public liaison for Mr. Carter; Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, primate of the Armenian Church of America; Bishop Silas of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America; Mr. Carter, Dr. Sloan S. Hodges, general secretary of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., and Archpriest George M. Rados of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese. Christians and Moslems, the influence of the powerful Israeli lobby on American foreign policy will lessen, and an American President can at long last bring a long needed, just and lasting peace to that "explosive" world area." Frank Maria on "Good Arab / American Viewpoint Day Show" Presents Frank Maria, chairman of the Department on Arab Refugee Affairs of the Archdiocese and president of the American Arabic Association, was a guest on the "Good Day Show," regional ABC show from Channel 5 in Boston which is syndicated nationally, on Monday, January 9th, and was interviewed by host John Willis with regard to the Page 17 �and with regard to the curn Eg pt and Israel. e about a part of Channel gramming after having as a author Paul Erdman, ba Eban and Congressman d the importance of America's role in in bringing the primary parties to the Palestine Liberation Organff e t a just and enduring peace. ility for seeing that its client state Charter and by UN Resolutions human rights of the Palestinians ant what is best for the United y toward the peoples of the Middle handed" between Jews, Christians and a' economic interest, her petro-chemieds, her security, her concern for peace ance of war, especially in an area that into nuclear catastrophe, are at stake for Middle East." graph from the book "They are Human too" by photographer, Per-Olow Anderson, published in 1957, of Palestinian refugee children were shown tom k the dramatic point that "these children are tod a ,e freedom fighters,". . who reluctantly took . f h . up the gun aafy ters twenty years waitmg m camps or t e mternational c munity to force Israel to allow their return to their ho om. and lands from which Israeli guns had driven thmes Frustration, injustice and treatment of them as non-pee~. brought about the Palestinian Liberation Organizationo,r e To Mr. Willis' comment that "terrorism canno~ b condoned," Mr. Maria pointed out that Palestinian e tremism at its worst pales into insignificance before Israe~: 1 "terrorism," and he cited the record of Menachem Be ~1 Israel's Prime Minister who is responsible for killing • 90 persons when the King David Hotel was blown up a e~ the slaugh~er of over ~50 ch~ldr,~n, women and men in t~e peaceful village of Deir Y asm. The last state in the world to refuse to negotiate with alleged "terrorists" is Isra 1 whose record of terrorism against an innocent people 7 almost unbelievable." is In concluding Mr. Maria indicated that AMARA of Boston would send the pamphlet "Everything you wanted to know about . the Middle East, but did not dare ask"' t0 any o f the viewers who wrote to P.O. Box 18217, Boston Mass. 02118. "An informed public can insure a fair and just American policy." Genocide in Turkey' by Religious News Service Page 18 compiled by fr. gerasimos murphy an attempt to encourage our faithful fv" Greek Orthodnx Journal Lashes Program of EW YORK-An editorial in the first 1978 edition of the Orthodox Observer, a newspaper published for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South Ame_rica,has strongl~ criticized Turkey for having "begun t~e fmal sta~e of thetr decades-old program of genocide" directed agamst the few Greek Orthodox remaining in the country. Charging attempts to "completely terrorize the few Greeks" who remain, and to "condemn to oblivion the Ecum~nical Patriarchate," the editorial refers to a "cry of de pair . . . from one of our respected hierarchs" in Turkey. Earlier, Archbishop Iakovos, head of the archdiocese release_d_portions of the hierarch's letter, which Turkish a~thon~ies reportedly called "either a hoax or an effort to di credit Turkey." " The Ob~erver editorial lists more than a dozen Turkish ~ran gressions . . . barbarities" of recent years many directly related to the situation of the Orthodox minorit among them: y, -'.'The barbarities and the frenzied invasions of the orgamzed crowds of 1955 when the Turks did not eve~ re pect the dead in their graves. ~"Th_e_un?earable taxes (varlik) which were imposed on mmonttes m the years after the second world war and DAILY DEVOTIONS which thoroughly drained them, their businesses and their organizations. -"The closing of the historic theological school of Halki. -"The genocide which still continues on the islands of Imbros and Tenedos. -"The deportation of two hierarchs and 30,000 citi· zens of Greek ancestry between the years 1950 and 1965. -:-"The closing of the printing facilities which pubhshed the only newspaper of the Ecumenical Patriar· chate. -:-"The intervention of the Turkish government in the election of the new Ecumenical Patriarch in 1972 when it made a list of those bishops who would n~t be co~sidered as candidates by the Turks. -"The refusal to give passports to many hierarchs from_the Phanar (the Ecumenical Patriarchate) - which contmues even today." The Orthodox Observer's editorial also refers to the Turkish "slaughter of one million and a half Armenians in ~ 915, and of the Greeks of Asia Minor in 1920-23," "offer· m~s to the entire world of huge quantities of hashish and opmm," and the "invasion of Cyprus, which resulted in bloodshed thro_ughout the island, the seizure of 40 per cent of the nat10n by the invader, over 200,000 refugees left homeless and about 2,000 persons missing." The Word to study Holy Scripture through daily liturgical readings- WEEK OF APRIL 9: Sun: Heb. 6: 13-20 (Veneration Mark 9: 17-31 of Holy Cross) Mon:Is. 37:33-39; 38: 1-6 Gen. 13: 12-18 Tue: Isaias 40:18-31 Gen. 13:12-18 Wed:Isaias 41 :4-14 Gen. 17:1-9 Thu: Isaias 42:5-16 Gen. 18:20-33 Fri: Isaias 45: 11-17 Gen. 22: 1-18 Sat: Heb. 9:24-28 Mark 8:27-31 WEEK OF APRIL 16: Sun: Heb. 9: 11-14 (Mary Mark 10:32-45 of Egypt) Mon: Isaias 48: 17-49 Gen. 27:1-41 Tue: Isaias 49:6-10 Gen. 31:3-16 Wed: Isaias 58: 1-11 Gen. 43:26-31; 45:1-16 Thu: Isaias 65:8-16 Gen. 46:1-7 Fri: Isaias 66: 10-24 Gen. 49:33-50-26 Sat: Heb. 12:28-13:8 (Lazarus John 11: 1-45 Saturday) WEEK OF APRIL 23: Sun: Phil. 4:4-9 Palm Sunday John 12: 1-18 Mon: Job 1:1-12 Matt. 24:3-35 Tue: Job 1:13-22 Matt. 24:26-26:2 Wed: Job 2:1-10 Matt. 26:6-16 Thu: 1 Cor. 11:23-32 Matt. 26:1-27:2 1 Cor. 1: 18-2:2 Fri: Matt. 27:1-61 Sat: Rom. 6:3-11 Matt. 28: 1-20 WEEK OF MAY 7: WEEK OF APRIL 30: Sun: Acts 1:1-8 Easter Sunday John 1: 1-17 Mon:Acts 1: 12-17, 21-26 John 1:18-28 Tue: Acts 2:14-21 Luke 24: 12-35 Wed:Acts 2:22-36 John 1:35-51 Thu: Acts 2:38-43 John 3:1-15 Fri: Acts 3: 1-8 John 2: 12-22 Sat: Acts 3: 11-16 John 3:22-33 April, 1978 ~· ~ . ii· I'- Sun: Mon: ~ Tue: :'\ Wed: Thu: Fri: Sat: Acts 5: 12-20 (Thomas John 20: 19-31 Sunday) 1 John 1:1-7 John 19:25-28; 24-25 Acts 4:1-10 John 3:16-21 Acts 4: 13-22 John 5: 17-24 Heb. 7:26-8:2 Matt. 5:14-19 Acts 5:1-11 John 5:30-6:2 Acts 5:21-33 John 6:14-27 Page 19 �On Sunday morning,. Matins was celebrated in the hotel chapel by the Advisor to ~AC SOYO, ~rchiman. drite John Namie. The celebration o~ the Hierarchical . • Liturgy followed. The Metropohtan was assisted D 1vme N . M. h at the Liturgy by Father~ John . am1e, ~c ael Welborn, William Gaines, Gabriel Ash~e - Advisor t? Western Damian of th R eg1•on Teen SOYO, and Priest-Monk . . p· M. e Orthodox monastic comm~mty m t~ayune, .1ssissippi. Several other priests sang m ~he ch~1r a~o~g with soy0 Bastl M1ss10n. The large m bers and the choir of Samt me • f or t h_e f.1rst H._1e~archical chapel was filled to capacity Divine Liturgy to be cele?ra~ed by this new M1ss1oncom. munity. Following the d1sm1ssal, a banquet was hosted Youth Director, Bill Essey. lthough the city of New Orleans offers the visitor ma~y di traction , the workshop room was filled to _capacity ith OYO members and many interest~d parish~oners from the aint Basil Mission. The proceedmgs of th_1sv~ry ucce sful workshop will be published as a g~1deh~e manual so that all Regions and parishes can begm their ork in the area of Mission during the Great Lent. With a large chapel set up in the Grand Ballroo°:1 of Le Pa illon, Great Vespers was celebrated that evenmg by Archpriest Joseph Shaheen, :'-dvis~r to Can-Am ~OYO, and was presided over by Hts Emmence. A ch01r composed of young people from throughout the Archdiocese offered the responses under the direction of Emily Day of Wichita, Kansas. Following the service the SOYO members and their New Orleans hosts left the hotel to participate in the first of the Mardi Gras parades. Although the parade was delayed, SOYO entertained the crowds with an old-fashion sing-along. The singing must ha e been good because the group even got requests! A quiet dinner at a restaurant in the French Quarter ended the evening. Ea tern Region President Dr. Alan Matook. Page 22 soYOChoir at St. Basll's Mission. Can-Am Advisor Archprlest Joseph Shaheen. called to New Orleans to celebrate Holy Week and Pascha. Since that time the New Orleans community has ontinued to grow, and has been formally acknowledged ~s a mission of the Archdiocese under the patronage of SaintBasil the Great. Weekly services are celebrated at the Wesley Center Chapel on the campus of Tulane University. The community, which is composed of OrthodoxChristians from varied ethnic backgrounds, has organizeda choir and a church school; converts are instructed through an Inquirer's Class directed by Father Michael.The young people of the community hope to organizea SOYO chapter soon. Anyone having friends or relatives living in the greater· New Orleans area, or anyone moving into the area, should contact Father Michael at 7102 Freret Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118 (504) 861-3726. The people of Saint Basil Mission were most gracious hosts for the NAC SOYO Midwinter Meeting. The old adage about Southern hospitality certainly is true! SOYO was honored to be their guests and to say, in behalf of the entire Archdiocese, "Welcome to our fellowship in Jesus Christ." To Father Michael, Cynthia, Alexa, John, Elaine, the Mission Council, and all the faithful of Saint Basil Mission, we say a sincere thank you. May God continue to direct your steps in witnessing to His Truth. Paul Swydan, NER President, Fr. Gerry Murphy, Advisor and Linda Dakar of Boston. where His Eminence spoke on the necessity for mission work and a pan-ethnic witness to Orthodoxy i~ North America. Later that evening, a farewell reception was hosted at the hotel by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Chehardy of Saint Basil Mission. THE HISTORY OF SAINT BASIL MISSION While planning for religious services to ~e celebra!ed at the convention of the Southern Federation of Syrian Lebanese American Clubs in February of 1977, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Boudreaux of Baton Rouge were char~ed with arranging for the Orthodox service. Prior to moving to Baton Rouge, Mr. and Mrs. Boudreaux lived in Beaumont, Texas, where they were members of Saint Michael Church and became acquainted with Father Michael Welborn. They contacted Father Michael ab~ut the possibility of his celebrating the Divine Liturgy dunng the Baton Rouge convention and he gladly obliged. The convention attracted many people from throughout the South, including a group from_ Ne~ Orleans. At the conclusion of the Liturgy, Father M1chae was approached by three young people from New O~leans (Cynthia Kogos, Alexa Hamauei, and Jqhn Hamauet) w~o enthusiastically expressed tl;leir desire that a panethnic, English language mission be established in New Orlean~a~ a witness to Orthodoxy. Father Michael reque~t~~ t \ 0 they do some serious investigating of the poss1bibty th establishing such a mission. Within a few weeks, es: dedicated and zealous young people aroused so rouc interest in their community that Father Michael was The Word NATIONAL ORATORICAL CONTEST RULES (REVISED) for ALL REGIONAL AND LOCAL CONTESTS The topic for the 1978 Oratorical Presentations: TheMission of the Church In North America and How I CanShareIn Its Realization. 1. There shall be two age groups: Junior Group: 13-15 years of age Senior Group: 16-19 years of age 2. Each chapter in the region is eligible to select one member for each age group to represent their chapter at the Regional Convention. The winner of the Senior Group Regional Oratorical Contest is eligible to represent the region at the National Oratorical Contest. The National Oratorical Contest will be held annuallyat the Archdiocese Convention. 3. Parental permission to attend the Archdiocese Convention must be received by the Regional Chairman from the Senior Group contestants prior to the Regional Contest. 4• The topics for the Oratorical Contest will be selected by . Metropolitan Philip or any person he may designate. S. O~ationsfor the Junior Group shall be a minimum of 3 mm~tes and a maximum of 5 minutes. Senior Group orations shall be a minimum of 6 minutes and a maximum of 10 minutes. On the National Level each or~tion must be given without benefit of complete printedmaterial or notes of any kind. On the Regional ~evel contestants may use 3x5 note cards in which to incorporate key words and phrases. April,1978 6A. Orations shall be judged by one Orthodox Clergyman, not a member of the Antiochian Archdiocese, on Orthodox Christian Viewpoint, including creativity, content and theological and doctrinal accuracy. 6B. Orations shall also be judged by two (2) professionals, not members of the Antiochian Archdiocese, in the field of teaching and / or coaching of oratory or forensics. These judges shall consider Personal Qualities, which shall include appearance, poise, attitude, also Delivery and Presentation, including voice, enunciation, and impression and effect, and Material Organization including theme, subject adherence, and logic. 7. Timekeeper will deduct one point for every minute or fraction thereof over or under the prescribed time limit. 8. Three typewritten copies of each oration and a resume of each contestant shall be submitted to the National Oratorical Contest Chairman. Regional Chairmen may set the Regional deadline date. 9. It is strongly urged by NAC that the expenses of the contestants representing the regions at the National Oratorical Contest be paid by each region if possible. 10. Awards for regional contests shall be selected by the individual regions. The National Oratorical Contest shall award a $25.00 U.S. Savings Bond to each contestant except to the winner who will receive a $300.00 Scholarship award from Metropolitan Philip. Page 23 �New England Region Teen SOYO-Seminarian Creative Writing Conte st 1978 The purpose of the Creative W~ti~g Contest is to make the mes age of our faith come ahve m the hearts and mind of our young people. One of the weaknesses of our approach in religious education has been. that w~ _make the hild a pa si e listener instead of an active p~rticipant. Creati e Writing gives our youth an opportunity to expre themsel es concerning the knowledge they are a quiring about the Orthodox Faith. I sincer~ly hope that parent as well as church ~chool t~ach~rs will encourage th ir hildren to take an active part m this contest. Robin Lynn Nicholas National Coordinator GRADE BOOK TOPIC Kindergarten, We Live in God's World: "God gives us gifts in a beautiful world" . . . Grade 1 We Live in God's World: "God gives us gifts ma beautiful world" Grade 2, Discovering God's Way: "We return to God's lo e by doing good works" Grade 3, We Worship God in the Church: "We pray for the needs of the world" Grade 4, The Bible Lives in the Church: "God teaches us about Himself in the Bible" Grade 5, Our Lile in the Church: "We share in God's life through the Holy Sacraments" Grade 6, God With Us: "Jesus lived with the people and blessed them" Grade 7, The Young Church: "The Church carries God's message into the world" Grade 8, Heroes for Truth: "Great Individuals in the history of the Church" Grade 9, New Frontiers: "Great events in the life of the Church" Grade 10, The Different ways in which we may serve God and His people. Grade 11, Problems of Christian living in the twentieth century. Grade 12, Christianity makes us a different people How? DEADLINES: Regional-May 1, 1978 National - June 1, 1978 These are the rules for judging Local, Regional and ational entries: 1. All en tries must contain at least 50 words and no more than 300 words. 2. Entries must be typewritten on 8 1 / 2 x 11" paper, double spaced and submitted in triplicate (3 copies). You may submit an original plus two carbon copies, all of which must be clean and clear for use by the judges. ALSO, Please submit the ORIGINAL HANDWRITTEN COPY by the student along with the typewritten copies. 3. Each typewritten entry must show ONLY and ALL of the following: a) Age b) Church School Grade Page 24 c) National and Regional Identification Inform t· a ion Sheet 4. Each typewritten entry must be ac~ompanied by th Identification Sheet complehted with the name, ad~ dress, church, et~. Include t. ese sheets when sentto Regional and National Coordmators. 5. All entries should be submitted by members of th Church Schools of the Antiochian Orthod e Christian Archdio~ese o! North Ame.rica. Contesta;: must write on topics assigned to theu Church School grade. 6. Regional winners are selected on a first, second, and third place basis (3 places for 12 age groups, 12il Kindergarten participated). Only first place winners are submitted to NAC (12 first place winners, one from each age group, 13 if Kindergarten participated). 7. Regional winners should be announced at the Regional Conferences; NAC winners, at the Arch• diocese Convention. It will be the responsibilityof each Regional CoordJnator to notify the winners, following the formal announcement at the Arch, diocese Convention. 8. Prizes will be awarded to the place winners in each group, the NAC Coordinator with National Director of Religious nd of February 4 & 5 was an exciting one for The weeke . of New England Region. It was declared as the Te;ns inarian Weekend". Our guest of Honor was " ER emn Gary Geha, the seminarian who is sponsored SubJ;t~een SOYO. Also, as a special gu~st for the by nd was Tom Hier, NAC Teen SOYO President. weekeb an when the Teens of St. George Cathedral It e!r) were assigned the Seminarian Fund for NER. (Worcetsal idea of an entire Seminarian Weekend was The ac u . d on at a regional meetmg. vot~he first main event was a Gala Hafli on Saturday • February 4, in Worcester. It proved to be a great evening,and all the NER Teens, along with their family success, • 1y. All t h e pro f'its andfriends,enjoyed themselves immense Hafli will be turned over to NAC Teen SOYO fromthe SeminarianFund. But this was not the end of the events. On Sunday Divine Liturgy at the parish mornl·n'g, the teens attended . . f our Spiritual Advisor, Fr. Antony Beauchamp m ~owell.Sub-Deacon Gary sermonized on "~ ocations". 10. Guidelines for JUDGING: 1. Presentation of Thought(worth 50 per cent) A. Originality B. Subject Adherance 11. Style - (worth 25 per cent) A. Creativity B. Introduction - strength of C. Conclusion- strength of 111. Mechanics - (worth 25 per cent_) A. Grammar B. Continuity of thought 11. JUDGES for the National and Regional Contests: 2 Orthodox Priests outside our Archdiocese and one professional in the field of education (preferably in English) For more information about the Creative Writing Contest contact your Regional Coordinators listed below. I'm sure they will be glad to help in anyway they can. CAN I AM REGION - Chuck Smith EASTERN REGION - Mrs. Jean Chromiak MIDWEST REGION -Judy Yacio NEW ENGLAND REGION - Elias Laham SOUTHWEST REGION - Dana Debes WESTERN REGION - Elaine Ferris The Word Immediately following Divine Liturgy, the St. George Lowell teens sponsored a luncheon for all the delegates and guests. Our General Assembly was very successful as well as historic. In the years that I have been involved with SOYO, I have never seen such a number of teens at a meeting. The conclusion of the weekend was a presentation by Lowell teens and Fr. Antony. This was part of the Spiritual Involvement Program of NAC. Each of four teens interviewed a priest from various religions: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism and Episcopalianism. Each interview showed the differences between the various beliefs. This presentation was very interesting. Yes, the NER Teens sponsored the first of its kind, a most successful weekend, and we hope to make it an annual event. We all enjoyed meeting Gary and Tom and hope they will visit us again soon! Sheryl Bourisk NER Vice President How Christianity Makes Us A Different People first, second and third and will be selected by the approval of the Education. 9. Certificates of Recognition for Place Winners (pink) should be presented with awards during the Regional Conferences. Certificates of Participation (blue) goto all non-winning entries; these should be given to Local Coordinators or Local Parish Priest at the Regional Conferences. Weekend "Think like they think, Don't stand out, Don't be a square. Play it safe man. Take it easy. Incoherent and even breezy." Today our values, standards and manner of living have become increasingly stereotyped. Nobody wants to be different.It actually gets difficult to take a stand about anything,or to even be concerned about one another. Yet, there once was a man who was considered different by his peers. His actions did not conform to the customsand ideas of the time. He preached about giving of one's self when everyone else talked of getting all you could. This man went to the extreme of letting himself be arrestedand cruelly tortured on a cross because He would not conform to this world. He would not give up the missionfor which He was sent. Those whom He had chosen to carry on the work whichHe began seemed possessed with His same spirit. They talked of a different way of living. They offered somethingfulfilling, something eternal. In New Testament times people around those early Christiansoften regarded them as strange because they were so different. They preached about Jesus Christ, P~oclaimingHe was the Messiah and that His spirit was st111 among them. They were even willing to suffer and die fortheir faith. Through the Holy Scriptures we are aware of the examples set by Christ and His disciples. We learn of the way he desires us to be - Different. We are taught to accept the many different races on earth and to pray for a one kingdom of love in which His spirit rules over our hearts. As Christians we are given the opportunity of being the persons God intended us to be; the people He has chosen to carry out His good works. Host anAFS foreign student It could make all the difference in the world. Contact: ~ ®'I International (:7 Scholarships 313 East 43rd St., New York, N.Y 10017 Tel. (212) 661-4550 . ReginaAshie is in the 11th Grade at St. Luke's Church ~ Ga:den Grove, CA. She won first place in the NAG reativeWriting Contest. April,1978 Page 2: �connnunities In Action re view BOOK REVIEW by Professor John E. Rexine, Ph.D. Colgate University t . Kryil and Methody Society, The Life of Innokenty of Alaska and His Famous Sermon HJndlcatlonof the Way Into the Kingdom of Heaven." Chilliwack, B. C., Canada: ynaxis Press, 1976. Pp. 32 + 50. Paper. Illustrated. $4.00. ts. Kryil and Methody Orthodox Christian Educational Society of Juneau, Alaska, has embarked upon a selective publication program that has already produced such books as The Flame of the Candle, God's Fools, and The Mankato Symposium on Religion in the USSR and a journal, Synaxis: Journal of Orthodox Christian Theology in the 20th Century. Innokenty of Alaska belongs to this admirable new endeavor, and though simply produced in 8 1 / 2" x 11" binder format, it i richly illustrated and written in crystal-clear language that will appeal to a wide audience of readers. It will be of particular concern to those who are interested in the pread of international Orthodoxy but also to those interested in Orthodox Christianity among "native Americans," in this case, the native of Alaska who used the Aleut and Tlingit languages. Born to the wife of the sacristan Euseby Popov of the Church of St. Elias the Prophet in Anginskoe, Siberia, and raised by his uncle, who was deacon of St. Elias, because of his father's early death, John Popov grew up to a child of exceptional educational ability, who studied at Irkutsk eminary, traveled to Alaska with his wife and family in response to a request of the Holy Synod, built a Church of the Ascension with his own hands (he was an expert carpenter) in Unalaska, and served the Aleuts in the Orthodox Faith for ten productive years. His Aleut grammar, his 658-page book entitled Notes on the Islands of Unalaska District, his Tlingit Prayer Book, his Notes on the Tlingit, Konlak and Other Languages of Russian America, his Catechism and History of Christ's Church are sufficient to indicate his philological, linguistic, and theological prowess. His famous sermon, Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven, in the Fox-Aleut dialect, has been published in Tlingit, French, and English and has had forty-six editions in Russian. It is reproduced Page 26 St. Nicholas in very attrative format in this volume and centers on (1) the benefits which Jesus Christ granted mankind by His death; (2) how Jesus Christ lived on earth and what He suffered for mankind; (3) the way by which humankind must enter the Kingdom of Heaven; and (4) how Jesus Christ helps mankind to proceed by this way and how help can be had. It is a highly readable contemplative work that is just as applicable today as it was on the day it was written. The Rev. John V eniaminov was to achieve great success and a great reputation. Elevated to the rank of archpriest, accepting monastic tonsure after his wife's death in November of 1840, he received the name of Innokenty after the patron saint of Alaska. In December of 1840he became the Bishop of Alaska (with his see at Archangel "Sitka"); in 1850 he was elevated to the position of Archbishop of Yakutsk; and in May of 1868 he was enthroned in the ancient Dormition Cathedral of Moscow as sue· cessor to his mentor, Metropolitan Philaret. In March of 1'879, at the age of 81 Metropolitan Innokenty, blind and tired, after fifty-eight years in the service of the Church, passed on to his Maker. He was interred next to the grave of Metropolitan Philaret in Holy Trinity-St. Serge Lavra cemetery and is commemorated to this day as the Great Apostle of the Alaskans. Scholar, teacher, priest, trans· lator, author, missionary, bishop, archbishop, and metro· politan, he is a remarkable example of a dynamic servant of Christ and His Church. The Life of Innokenty of Alaska and His Fam~us Sermon is a modest account of this great ecclesiarch with a tantalizing glimpse into a Christian life that was hardy, full, rich, and illumined. He believed he followed the way of the Lord, for, in his own final words, "The ways of man are rightly directed by the Lord" (Ps. 36:23). Editor's Note: . d The Orthodox Church of Russia recently canonized Innokenty, now St. Innocent, having him remembered liturgically as "evangelizer of the Aleutian Islands an Apostle to America." The Word Church - Montreal, Quebec S day October 30, 1977, a very important event Onla:: in' the life of the Parish of St. Nicholas of !OokP Our Pastor, Rev. Fr. Joseph Shaheen, was 1 \{ontre;~ 0 the rank of Archpriest. The faithful began ele~~te early as 9:30 A.M. for the Liturgy which was to rovingas . a . t 10·30 Invited guests were ushered to their seats, begi;a day.S~hool children were in full force, the choir the ubnedand ready and the church was filled to its very wasro capacity. . Metropolitan PHILIP, Rt. Rev. Antoun Khouri and wn Fr. Joseph celebrated the Divine Liturgy. Our O our • 11y b eaut~'f u 1 v01ce • Primatewas in exceptt~na t h'~s pa_ricularmorning, Mr. Nass~b Batah delivered the E~tstle m voicefilled with emot10n, the altar bustled with the ~any altar boys, including_ Father's 2 sons, Joey and Philip,the choir sang beautifully and before anyone ';as aware,the Liturgy was over and Father Antoun Khou~1 as sponsor,was present~ng Father Joseph t<;>Metropo~ttan PHILIPfor his elevation. Prayers were said, then Satdna helpedFr. Joe to remove his old vestments and a new set ofvestments,a gift from the parishioners, was presented tohim,piece by piece, by the head of each of the auxiliary organizations of the church. While Saidna and Fr. Antoun helpedhim vest himself in his new garments, which were inwhitewith gold adornment, the people and the choir sangthe words, AXIOS - AXIOS - AXIOS Saidna then presented the Order of St. Ignatius of Antiochcertificates to the recipients and gave a short sermon. Then the very new Very Reverend Father Joseph Shaheen gave the blessing as the people came forward to kissthe cross, and thus concluded the first part of this eventful day. THE GRAND BANQUET Sundayevening, Mr. Gordon Zakaib, acting as Master ofCeremonies,called the people to order, as the Head T~blewas ushered into the Grand Salon of the Queen Ehzabeth Hotel. Metropolitan PHILIP gave the Invocation dinner was ~rved.and thus began the Grand Banquet i~ honour of rchpnestJoseph Shaheen. Inhis usual smooth and at times trilingual diplomacy, GordonZak 'b • T at mtroduced the head table guests. . he program with the presenting of the 5 ArchdiocesanM 't began • u0 en onous Awardees. Gordon Zakatb. ca 11e d tt our M.P. which in this case, was our Master Pastor pFea~e come forward and recognize the recipients. Mout er Joseph spoke about: Anver Zarbatany, Edward Batahr~e,Nadra Zakaib, Nicholas Kousaie and Nassib ' ow 5 men together have served for over 200 years f April,1978 Elevation in Montreal in the church (combined effort). He spoke of their dedication and devotion and in the often heard words of our Divine Liturgy quoted: "FOR THOSE WHO SERVE AND THOSE WHO SING, MAY THE GREAT, RICH AND ABUNDANT MERCIES OF GOD BE BESTOWED UPON THEM". The Meritorious Awards were presented by Saidna Philip "In recognition of the outstanding and exceptional qualities of the faithful servant (name), member of St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church." Then Father Joseph presented them with a token of his appreciation, which he himself had made, as a gesture of his very deep affection and asked the people to rise with him and extend to them -AXIOS. The gentlemen accepted their awards and offered their heartfelt thanks, to the congregation, and Archdiocese for the honour bestowed upon them this day. Many speeches were made during the banquet, all of Page 27 �. . 1 and filled with the love that th m t u hmg emotiona . p rm ated th room that evenmg. . d them all within this issue. Nor It i impo ible to recor . . . 1 the content it is not strop y . Ould it pro interesting,. for . f g but the manner m f a ee h hich makes it mteres m ' k' the o hi i;it i deli ered, the feelings of the person ma mg pr ntation and the sincerity of the message. e this e ening were listened to with ~nti i;~~o;e fo?they did not talk about ~oi::s !::s::ri problem of ociety. Instead, they spok d th' we kno n to all. They told of things we knew an m~he didn't kno . They mad~ u_slaug_h,they made us cry. y told of good time and difficult times. The tiret i a m JO "a only peecb which I have reproduced indits_e~t. d b B ky for I must a m1t, 1 the one dehvere y ec , "FATHER fa orite. Through her eyes, we see our her" father". BECKY'SSPEECH Well Dad, I guess this is it . . . as :,hilip says, "you can't be a Bishop cause ya gots ?~ . We hope you think we're wort~ it, because 1t s been fun growing up as clergy children. . , Well . . . at least most of the time. Sure, whats wrong with having 150 aunts and uncles instead of 5 or 6 like everyone else. It was always great ~t Christmas. I can remember when we were m Indianapolis, we used to have "Open House." I used to stand at the door and take the packages from the people until the time I grabbed your hand and pointed at someone's face and said, "she forgot to bring something." That was the end of Open House at Christmas. To be different was never a problem for me. When all my nursery school companions were singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", and "Mary Had a Little Lamb", I was asked if I knew any nursery rhymes and stood up and sang "Qudduson Allah". What did I know??? I don't think Joey or Philip have any hang-ups either. Joey always thought it was great to have Easter after everyone else; it meant more candies ... As for Philip, "FATHER PHILIP" - he should be the one up here giving this speech. His teacher once asked him what he was going to do over the weekend and he replied that he was going to help his father with a few baptisms and weddings. Aside from that, the question here in the community, especially amongst the members of the opposite sex is - "what is it like being the daughter of a priest, what do you do?" Of course, I tell them I sit down and pray most of the day, and after that, there isn't much time left for anything else. What other girl my age can say her father sat down with all her friends, on the back balcony and answered questions about the facts of life? Questions they were too embarassed to ask their own parents. Well . . . all in all, it's been great growing up as clergy children, but then again, growing up as your children. We love you Dad and we're very proud to have you as our father. Page 2 With Diane, we sha!ed m~ndyl.hfumo~lous mernorie marrie 1 e unti the present th e beginning of their fromFather • 1 spo k e, an d on b eh alf of the • Antony Ga b rte . h' ers of St George, presented Father With pans 10n • . h' • a cheque as their gift to him, on t ts very spec1a 1occasiono his elevation. L'kewise Father Coriaty of the Melkite Church pres:nted F~ther Joe with a very beautiful gold chalice . h we were told comes from Rome. w h IC • I b . Dear Father Antoun Khouri can~ot egm to tryto relate this particular message_. In words, it would not have • rneaning. yet the feehng of brotherly love emoted specta 1 •bl h' I by Father Antoun was a tang1 e t mg. quote him verbatim on one phrase: . "Father Joe, you are workmg • • • - from the deepof my heart, from a friend who knowshyo u_for 18_yf ears. God bless you and I thank you for your e 1pm my 1i e fromthe day I came to this land." . . Metropolitan PHILIP spoke of the trials and_tnbuia• tions of the priesthood - 1~ the world today, priestsare becoming discouraged, disheartened and sometimes cynic. It takes a strong faith and a great measure of per• verance to carry the cross and to serve the people. se "You Father Joe, have walked with God for 18years;] am sure God will walk with you forever." At this point, the program moved to the stage, where Ned Zarbatany, along with the heads of the variou cliurch auxiliary organizations, in~ited_ Father Joe and Diane to join them on stage, at which time the presenta• tion of gifts was made. Raymond Jazzar, as president of the Parish Council presented Father with th~ keys. to a ne~ 1978 Mercur. Zephyr, which was on display J~st. outside the b~nquet hall. This was a gift from the parishioners of St. Nicholas Church. . Then Alphonse Battah, Chairman of this event. presented Father and Dia~e, again on behalf of th parishioners of our church, with a cheque. . This was followed by the presentation of several gift: by the auxiliary organizations, as further token~ of_therr high esteem and appreciation of our Pastor and his wife. The program then returned to the head table andour "GUEST OF HONOUR" was introduced. Father Joseph spoke eloquently and said in part: "THE ELEVATION OF ONE MAN DID NOT TAKE PLACE TODAY BUT THE ELEVATION OF A WHOLE PEOPLE.I STAND BEFORE THE ALTAR IN YOUR STEAD, TO OFFER THE SACRIFICE IN YOUR NAME. I ASK THE GRACE OF GOD FOR YOU." "I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART FOR THE EXTRAORDINARY GENEROSITY AND KINDNESS AND OVERWHELMING RESPECT EVIDENCED HERE THIS EVENING." . Applause, cheers, goose pimples, a st an d'm g ovation cannot be recorded on paper. Thus ended the lovely evening of October 30, 19 ' with Father Joe and Diane, receiving the l_oveand bt~; wishes from their family in God, as they exited from Grand Salon of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. r GOD GRANT THEM MANY YEARS!!! -Carol Make: TheWor,· Captive Christian Day in Orlando, Florida ry 29th in the Orthodox Church is the day we Janua r St. Ignatius, P atriarc • h o f A nhoc • h . St. I gnatms • b • • remem de his fellow Christians to "P ray for your perexhorte ,, as they were being led to death in the Roman ecutors, • wit• h t h ese wor d s of St. I gnatms, • St. In connect10n arena. Orthodox Church of Orlando, Florida dedicated G~orJ\ as 'Captive Christian Day.' The plans for the this . a Christian Day program included a procession of Captive ned Christians through the streets of downtown cancer . from St. G eorge 's an d returnmg • do commencmg Orlan o at the conclus10n • f t h e process10n. • A mo l'b o i en t there fter t h e procession • wit. h a guest · e was to be prayed a erv1c r to follow. The Church was very fortunate to speake f C • Ch nstlan • • D ay, secure as the main speaker or aptive R rend Mother Alexandra, Abbess of the Orthodox Meov:astery of the Transfigu~ation in Ellwood City, PA. Reverend Mother Alexandra, who is t~e dau~hter ?f the former King and Queen of Romama, arrived m Orlando on Saturday, January 28th. ~he was the guest ?f h or at a dinner given for her followmg Great Vespers m ;; Church that evening. At the conclusion of dinner, 1 Mother Alexandra spoke of Orthodox Monasticism and theimportance of sacrifice for Christ and His Holy Church in the world today. Mother Alexandra reflected on how muchthe Church had and continues to do for her children behindthe Iron Curtain. Her talk was very inspiring, and all present looked forward to the morrow, when the Reverend Mother would speak more on the condition of Christiansunder communist rule. Sunday, January 29th dawned as a bright wintry day in Orlando. As St. George Church's faithful drew into the Church,there was a special air amongst the parishioners; for they knew they were in the presence of one who had sufferedvery much for all her and our faith. Following the celebrationof the Divine Liturgy, all present proceeded to the Church Hall to meet again and speak with Mother Alexandra. At 3:30 P.M. all present in the Church assembledfor the 'Captive Christian Day' procession. As the procession wound its way through the streets of downtown Orlando, it was joined by other concerned Christians.Following the procession, Mother Alexandra spoke of the condition of Christians in Romania. She relatedthat in Romania, for a Church to remain open, it hadto have at least 1,000 active members, and that every Churchdid have this minim um amount of people! "How sad it is that in this beautiful country, we have so few peoplethat are concerned for the Church", she related to thosepresent. "Is this all the people that are concerned for the plight of their fellow Christians suffering in Eastern Europe?",asked Mother Alexandra in response to there not being more people present for the procession. During refreshments which were served following the talk of MotherAlexandra, people asked her about her becoming an Orthodox nun. Mother Alexandra explained that from her early years, she had desired Monasticism. However, becauseof her duty to her family and to her country and ~eople,she was not able to pursue her dream. She contmued,that she had always been aware of her duties, and :ad never thought of avoiding them. Many of us remarked ~w sad we felt that it was that in a free land like America, ~ at mo:e people did not realize that they had a duty to f ~d, His Church and their own souls and those of their e ow man. Previous to Mother Alexandra's coming to St. April,1978 Mother Alexandra George's, many of the faithful had read her book, 'I Live Again.' In the book, Mother Alexandra (then Princess Ileana) related how much her family had worked to help the Romanian people during the First World War. She described the extreme pain and suffering of not only the people of the country, but also of the Royal Family. In other parts of the book, Princess Ileana told how during the Second World War she had organized a hospital to help the wounded. The facts of the communist invasion of Romania and the atrocities committed against the people and the Church were sad indeed to read. The banishment of this most gracious lady from her own country and her deep sorrow at being separated from those whom she had loved and cared for so much, was not only tragic for her, but also for those left behind. However, as one finished the book, you could not help but feel that there was within the authoress the determination to go on and 'live again.' Nineteen years ago, Princess Ileana, having fulfilled all her duties to others, was able to finally follow her early desire to enter the Monastic life. Ten years ago, Mother Alexandra, rece1vmg permission from her Bishop, founded the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration for women in Ellwood City, PA. The Monastery is part of the Romanian Episcopate of the Orthodox Church in America. The Monastery (women's monasteries are not called convents in the Orthodox Church) is supported totally by the donations received from concerned Christians. As Mother Alexandra left for home on the 31st of January, all those who had been in her company for the week-end, knew that a living link to all those who have suffered and ar-e suffering for Our Lord had left their midst. 'Captive Christian Day' and our guest speaker, Mother Alexandra will long be remembered in Orlando as a time when many of us came to realize how fortunate we are to be able to have freedoms that many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are denied. �St. Nicholas Cathedral - _Los Angeles, California Dr. George Nicola, was honored as "THE MAN OF THE YEAR," by the Lebanon-Syrian-American Society of Greater Los Angeles, on Sunday, Feb. St~, at the Sportsman Lodge m herman Oaks, Calif. This was the Society's second annual reception honoring people of the Los Angeles Arabic-speaking community. Over 700 people attended this gala evening. . Dr. Nicola, is the son of Nazera Nicola_ and the late Soloman Nicola, formerly of Zahle and Am Ar~b, who migrated to Bismark, North Dakota and then m 1940 moved to Los Angeles. . He graduated from Rush Medi~al School of Chicago, Ill., where he is presently servmg on the Board_ of Trustees. He served as resident doctor at Good Samantan Hospital in Los Angeles and team d?ctor f?r thr~e ye~rs for the University of Southern Cahf. He ts active with many youth groups, cub and boy s_couts,as we!l as being active with the DeMolays. He received the Legion Honor in DeMolay. Dr. Nicola was one of the founders of St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral of Los Angeles, and has been president of the Men's Society three times a~d has served on the Parish Council of the cathedral. He ts also instigator of the Father and Son banquet that the church sponsors annually. He was· church camp doctor for 20 years and always donated all of the medical supplies. There are many untold deeds, charity and much philanthropic works that are too many to mention here, of this humble doctor of humanity who takes pride in his Arabic ancestry, church, community and country. St. Mary Church - He is married to Josephine .(Gallade) ( . and they are blessed with four children: M an 1ee ~arned to Charles Ajalat); Fred, interning at UCLA hospital and graduate of his father's alma mater (Rush Medt~~l Sc~ool); Janice (married to George Saba and restdmg m ~ontreal, Canada); and another-son George Jr., also atte~dtng Rush Medical School, and one granddaughter Christian. Many relatives and friends ca~e from out of town for this memorable evening honormg the Doctor, "their cousin and friend." Many civic dignitaries were in attendance and made presentations to him. Al Assad presented him with a plaque from the Society. Alfred Assad, president of the Lebanon-Syrian American society, served as chairman of the r~ception and was assisted by Wedad Skaff Namay and Mike Haddad. The Mitchell Boys Choir and Ned Shaheen opened the program and the invocation was given by Father Paul Romley. Casey Kasem, star of radio and television, was master of ceremonies. Mae Skaff Tortolano, vocalist, sang songs especially written for the Doctor. She ~as accompanied by Norma~ Marney, Jr.! on the pta~o. The benediction was given by Monsignor Mardelh. Baron Sarkis Nahas gave a resume about the society. American dancing to the music of the Rhyth~ Kings,. under the direction of George Assad, and Arabic entertamment was enjoyed by all. The Lebanon-Syrian-American Society endeavors to uphold the high ideals of our Arabic heritage and culture. The society is the oldest in the city of Los Angeles and has been in existence since 1913. They sponsor Marhajans during Labor Day weekend to_help the Arab r_e~ugees, in this country and abroad, and many underpnvdeged of Arabic descent in this country. They take pride in spon· soring these receptions to honor individuals who have come up the hard way and gone on to remember to help their fellowman in many ways and acts of kindness. West Palm Beach, Florida On the weekend of February 11-12 the community of t. Mary's in West Palm Beach was honored with the first visit from His Eminence, Archbishop MICHAEL. The Archbishop was met by the parish council at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach with a private dinner in his honor. President of the parish council, Mr. Fred Razook welcomed Sayadna MICHAEL on behalf of the parish and introduced the members of the parish council: Mr. amuel Pasley, Mrs. Edna Panutsos, Mr. Edmund houcair, Mr. George Samra, Jr., Mr. Eddie Abufaris Jr., Mr. Joseph Nelson, Mrs. Jean Maggiore, Mrs. Louise Seide, Mrs. Mary Lenhart, Mr. Kenneth Bashour, Mrs. Elaine Ayoub and Mr. Grant Smith. The excellent dinner and fellowship was enjoyed by everyone. On Sunday morning with greaf joy the words of AXIOS rang throughout the Church when at the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, the President of Senior SOYO, Mr. Joseph Nelson was elevated to sub-deacon. Mr. elson's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ned Gordon, and the Page 30 The Word . f St. Mary's joined in the prayers of Archbishop 1 faith~A~L with the words Axios, Axios, Axios to this I~ ted young man. Mr. Nelson is the Public Relations ded.icafor the Palm Beach Police Department and a 0fficert to the Orthodox Faith. The inspiring Liturgy con~er d with a meaningful sermon by Sayadna onttnue • • HAEL. Asststmg the A re hb'tsh op was R ev. Fr. ~IColas Neyman, priest of St. Mary's, Sub-deacons Mark ich nd Daniel Bashour; from our sister parish of St. amraa T , in Ft. Lauderdale came Father Deacon ConPhi1~ s and Sub-deacon Philip. The responses were sung tant~eautiful St. Mary's choir, of which the Archbishop b~dt:as one of the best in the South; being directed by sa1 . . M GlenRovme111. r.The Banquet honoring the Archbishop was held . diately after the Divine Liturgy in the spacious im~ehhall Over two hundred and fifty parishioners, outpans • of-townfriends and guests gathered to honor the Archbishop.Serving as Toastmaster the newly-elevated Subd con Joseph Nelson welcomed Sayadna MICHAEL and rr::nds.Mrs. Louise Seide and her able committee outdid themselvesserving a delightful meal. Mr. Fred Razook, the CouncilPresident spoke eloquently on the growth of thecommunity,its past presidents, its progress and. future hopes.Following the President, Fr. Nicholas Neyman had the distinct honor of mentioning the works of one of the mostfaithful servants of St. Mary's; namely, Mrs. Edna St. George Church Thepast year has indeed been an eventful year for the parishionersof St. George Church of Niagara Falls, New York.The parishioners have never felt so much exhilarationas they did with the visit of His Beatitude, Patriarch EliasIV. His Beatitude, Patriarch Elias, His Eminence, MetropolitanPhilip, Metropolitan Ilyas and Father Antoun Khouriwere met not only by our priest, Rev. Fr. George Aswad,and members of the Parish Council, George Shahin,Daniel W. Bishara, Douglas Fadel and Michael Kargatis,at the Buffalo Airport, but also by photographersfrom three major television stations. His arrival wastelevisedfor all to see. HisBeatitude celebrated a Vesper Service, which was so~loriousand beautiful, and never-to-be-forgotten by the· pansh.The Choir, under the direction of Khoureye Grace Aswad,was never more inspiring. A dinner in the new ChurchHall followed the Service. Daniel W. Bishara was Master _o_f Ceremonies. The women of the parish prepared a tra?1tlonal Arabic Dinner, of which Mrs. Annis Mokh1~er was Chairman. George Shahin is president of theParishCouncil. As a memento of his visit to Niagara Falls, Fr. George ;nno_uncedthat the parishioners were presenting His ;: 1tu_d~,Patriar~h Elias IV, with a projector and slides 0 s VlSlt- the shdes were forwarded to him. p The mayor of Niagara Falls, Michael O'Laughlin, ts~nted the Patriarch with a key to the City, and told the th~~ar;hthat the Lebanese community officially opened Th Pl ent Lackey Plaza with a Hafli during the summer. mt aza offers fine family entertainment - the theater, Slc,art, outdoor programs and activities. The Mayor April,1978 Panutsos, the Treasurer of the Church. Mrs. P,mutsos was one of the original 17 families who started the parish and who has diligently served it faithfully for over 18 years as the treasurer. In his remarks, some humorous, others deeply moving, Fr. Nicholas gave an account of unprecidented love of this lady to her Church and God. "Well done, thy good and faithful servant!" The Certificate of Meritorious Service was presented to Mrs. Edna Panutsos by Sayadna MICHAEL amidst many warm tears of love. The main address was given by His Eminence, Archbishop MICHAEL. Many friends and guests were recognized among those in attendance. The Archbishop spoke on the beauty of America and its freedoms we so abundantly enjoy. He spoke of the progress of our tiny community and its farsightedness in building such big buildings to the Glory of God. He stated that he was moved by the dedication and fellowship of the community in West Palm Beach. The parishioners of St. Mary's Orthodox Churcn of West Palm Beach were extremely honored to share the joy of having His Eminence in our midst. It is difficult to convey the joy in our hearts on this beautiful day in the life of our Church. We sincerely and fervently pray that God blesses the Archbishop with good health, many happy years and abundant blessings. Niagara Falls, New York Patriarch Elias, Fr. Antoun Khouri and Metropolitan Ilyas at Niagara Falls. even demonstrated that he has learned the steps of the dubkee. The Patriarch and his entourage viewed the Falls one of the famous "Seven Wonders of the World" - from both sides of the Niagara River - the American and the Canadian. One of the highlights of the trip was a thrilling boat ride on the "Maid of the Mist" through the torrential waters of the Niagara Basin. We, of St. George of Niagara Falls, were truly blessed with' the presence of our Patriarch Elias, and we sincerely hope that this will be the beginning of many visits to our parish. Page 31 �' .c w w w -½ WELCOME TO HOUSTON 33RDANNUAL CONVENTION HOUSTON,TEXAS ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN ARCHDIOCESE JULY23-30, 1978 HOSTED BY ST. GEORGE CHURCH RT. REV. JOHN NAMIE 5311 MERCER HOUSTON, TEXAS 77005 FOR YOUR FULFILLMENT S RV CES DIVINE LITURGY ..................................... VESPERS ......................................... HIERARCHICAL DIVINE LITURGY ..................... EVERY MORNING EVERY AFTERNOON SUNDAY MORNING PRIESTS WILL HEAR CONFESSION AND HELP YOU PREPARE FOR COMMUNION. SERMONS WILL BE DELIVERED AT EACH SERVICE. , ERGY WORKS OP PUBLIC RELATIONS - KWEILIN NASSAR, CHAIRWOMAN - MONDAY EVE. DEPARTMENT PUBLIC AND MEDIA RELATIONS. BIBLE SCHOOL ALL CHILDREN 4 YEARS THROUGH 12 YEARS WELCOME. CHILDREN UNDER 4 YEARS WELCOMED IF ACCOMPANIED BY PARENT. TOPIC: BEATITUDES FROM "SERMON ON THE MOUNT" TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 11:00 A.M.-12:30 P.M. MRS. LYNDA GEORGE AND MRS. MARSHA ATTAL WITH TEACHERS FROM S. W. REGION. CHRISTIAN LIFE ISSUES RIGHT TO LIFE - AN EXPLORATION OF CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECT WHICH IS AFFECTING THE FABRIC OF OUR SOCIETY. DR. GARY BAINE - TUESDAY EVENING CO VE TION THEME PROGRAM-WITNESS TO MISSION A VERY SPECIAL PROGRAM WHICH WILL INSPIRE, EXCITE, AND MOTIVATE ALL CONVENTIONEERS TO THE REAWAKENING OF THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ANNOUNCING THE "GOOu NEWS". FR. GABRIEL ASHIE, CHAIRMAN, DEPARTMENT OF MISSIONS. WEDNESDAY EVENING LIFE AFTER LIFE - AN INQUIRY INTO THE REALITY OF LIFE AFTER DEATH. FR. MARK PEMBERTON - THURSDAY EVENING MARRIAGE, MONASTICISM AND BACHELORHOOD - AN INQUIRY INTO MODERN LIFE STYLES FROM A SCRIPTURAL VIEWPOINT. FR. PAUL TARAZI - FRIDAY EVENING � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Newspaper Collection Subject The topic of the resource Arabs--United States Newspapers--United States Arabic Periodicals Arab American Newspapers Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context NS 0021 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to make these materials available for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials. These materials are digital copies of an original resource held by another institution. The KCLDS Archive often works with other institutions to make digital materials available online to the public. KCLDS is not able to grant permission to use or reproduce these materials. The KCLDS Archive strongly encourages users to contact the holding institution for permission to use or reproduce materials from their holdings. Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Description An account of the resource <span>To view the finding aid for this collection, </span><a href="https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/findingaids/ns0021" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">click here.</a> NCSU Libraries Collection NCSU Libraries Collection metadata Finding Aid Link from https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/findingaids https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/findingaids/ns0021 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context kalemat_19780401_22_4 Title A name given to the resource The Word [Al-Kalemat, الكلمة] Volume 22, Issue 04 Alternative Title An alternative name for the resource. The distinction between titles and alternative titles is application-specific. Al-Kalemat Al Kalimat Al Kalimah الكلمة Description An account of the resource Volume 22, Issue 4 of The Word [Al-Kalemat, الكلمة], dated April 1978. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1978 Apr Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Subject The topic of the resource Arabs--United States--Periodicals Newspapers--United States Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text/pdf Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 54 Howitt Road, West Roxbury, Massachusetts Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Syrian Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials. Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Antiochian Heritage Library and Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America 1970s Antiochian Orthodox Church Massachusetts Newspapers